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COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



The Bible Year 




Prepared for 

THE YOUNG. PEOPLE'S SOCIETY OF 
MISSIONARY VOLUNTEERS 

by 
ADELAIDE BEE EVANS 



PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA 

Kansas City, <Mo. Portland, Ore. grookfield, III. 

Calgary, Jllberta, Canada Cristobal, Canal Zone 



Copyright 1918 

by 

Pacific Press Publishing Assn. 



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319 

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1 



PREFACE 

In planning for the year 1915, the Missionary Vol- 
unteer Department decided to make the reading of 
the Bible through each year a regular feature of our 
Missionary Volunteer work. In response to the an- 
nouncement, a large number enrolled for this course 
of reading. One Missionary Volunteer secretary 
wrote, "I find almost whole churches enrolling for 
this work, and all wish to sign the blank as a help in 
keeping them at it." One thousand and forty-eight 
were reported as reading the Bible through in 1915, 
and two thousand and four were reported as reaching 
that goal in 1916. 

In 1915, weekly assignments and notes were pub- 
lished in the Youth's Instructor. So great was the 
interest among all classes that these helps were pub- 
lished in our church organ, the Review and Herald, 
during 1916. Then an abbreviated course for Juniors 
was started; and during 1917, the Instructor con- 
tained Junior and Senior assignments and Junior 
notes, while the Review and Herald published Senior 
assignments and notes. 

Thus "The Bible Year" has become a permanent 
feature of our Missionary Volunteer work, and it is 
thought that the assignments and notes will be much 
more convenient in the form in which they are now 
presented. 

Our young people are called to do a great work 
for others, but they cannot expect God to speak 
through them until they first allow Him to speak to 
them in His word. In an "Address to the Youth,' ' 

(v) 



vi PEEFACE 

Mrs. E. G. White once said: "In the early years of 
the third angel's message, many of the believers were 
young in years; but they learned to study God's word 
with prayerful earnestness, and as they grew older, 
they became a mighty power for good. Their knowl- 
edge of the Scriptures enabled them to labor for souls 
in the days of their youth and early manhood. They 
did not think that because they were young, they 
could not understand God's word. As they wrestled 
with difficult passages, and sought God for under- 
standing, light shone forth from the sacred page, 
and the foundation of our faith was established in 
their hearts. Later, when these young men met every 
species of error, nothing could shake their confidence. 
They were anchored within the veil. Their faith in 
the Bible was substantiated by a personal knowledge 
of the One who inspired the Word." 

This little book is sent forth by the Missionary Vol- 
unteer Department with the prayer that it will en- 
courage thousands of our Missionary Volunteers and 
others to a more constant and systematic study of the 
word of God, that they may be built up in the Chris- 
tian life and "thoroughly furnished unto all good 
works." M. E. Kern. 



INTRODUCTION 

THE BOOK OF BOOKS 

m The Bible is the supreme Book. It not only holds, on its 
own merits, the first place in literature, but as the inspired 
record of God's dealings with men, it is also entitled to the 
highest place in their love and reverence. 

The Bible is a personal book. Because He who created 
man caused this book to be written for man, it speaks alike to 
the king on his throne and to the untutored savage in the jungle. 
It is a lamp to guide the feet that stray; a hammer to break, 
and a fire to melt, the hardest heart; a shield to ward off the 
assaults of the enemy, a tower of refuge; and the shadow 
of a great rock in a weary land. It brings hope to those in 
despair, peace to the troubled, comfort to the broken-hearted, 
and courage and confidence to all who search its hidden 
treasures. 

The Bible is a complete book. It ' ' contains the mind of 
God, the state of man, the way of salvation, and the destiny of 
the righteous and the wicked. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts 
are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are im- 
mutable. Eead it to be wise, believe it to be right, and practice 
it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support 
you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the 
pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and 
the Christian's charter. Christ is its grand subject, our good 
its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the 
memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. It is a mine of 
wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is 
given you in life, will be open at the Judgment, and be re- 
membered forever. It invokes the highest responsibility, re- 
wards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its 
holy contents." 

(vii) 



viii INTBODUCTION 

The Bible is an enduring book. ' < The word of our God 
shall stand forever. " Says Dr. Cummings: "The empire of 
Caesar is gone; the legions of Rome are moldering in the dust; 
the avalanches that Napoleon hurled upon Europe have melted 
away; the pride of the Pharaohs is fallen; the pyramids they 
raised to be their tombs are sinking every day in the desert 
sands; Tyre is a rock for bleaching fishermen's nets; Sidon 
has scarcely left a wreck behind; but the word of God still 
survives. All things that threatened to extinguish it have only 
aided it; and it proves every day how transient is the noblest 
monument that man can build, how enduring is the least word 
that God has spoken. Tradition has dug for it a grave; in- 
tolerance has lighted for it many a fagot; many a Judas has 
betrayed it with a kiss; many a Peter has denied it with an 
oath; many a Demas has forsaken it; but the word of God 
still endures. " 

Why Should We Read the Book? 

First of all, we should read the Bible to satisfy our soul 
hunger. As we read God's written word to us, and open our 
minds to receive His thoughts, He will speak to us as truly 
as He spoke to David, and to Isaiah, and to Daniel. We need 
to Tcnow Him, and we may know Him best through His word. 

We should read the Bible, too, because "it touches and 
crowns all other branches of knowledge, " and because, as 
Charles Dudley Warner says, "all modern literature and all 
modern art are permeated with it. There is scarcely a great 
work in the language that can be fully understood and enjoyed 
without this knowledge, so full is it of allusions and illustra- 
tions from the Bible. A boy or a girl at college, in the pres- 
ence of the works set forth for either to master, without a 
fair knowledge of the Bible is an ignoramus, and is disad- 
vantaged accordingly. ' ' 



INTRODUCTION ix 

How Should We Read the Book? 

Read it reverently. Angels who are ever before the throne 
of God cover their faces as they sing His praise. We should 
shut out of our minds all worldly thoughts when we open the 
pages of the Book. 

Read it slowly. Let its truths have time to take root. "Be 
still, and know," says the Mighty One. Be quiet, unhurried, 
that you may hear His voice. Only so can you Tonow your 
Bible. "The Bible in the hand won't do; the Bible in the 
head won 't do ; but the Bible in the heart means eternal life. ' ' 

Read it submissively. The Bible is God's message to you. 
Through its pages, He will speak to your heart, leading you 
into all truth. Come to this reading in a submissive, teachable, 
obedient spirit, and you will be truly taught of Him. "If any 
man willeth to do His will," said Jesus, "he shall know of 
the teaching.' ' 

Read it prayerfully. "When you are reading a book in a 
dark room, and come to a difficult part, you take it to a window 
to get more light. So take your Bible to Christ." Think not 
so much of the number of chapters and verses as of your need, 
and the help which your Father is waiting to send you through 
His word. And remember that your progress in comprehension 
of the Bible will be measured by your earnestness in prayer. 

When Should We Read the Book? 

Read it daily. "I am sorry for the men who do not read 
the Bible every day," says President Wilson. "To-day," is 
the word of inspiration. "To-day . . . hear His voice" — and 
every day. Do not miss one, or say to yourself, ' ' To-morrow. ' ' 
What if, for you, to-morrow should not come? 

Read it first. "The Bible ought to have the best time in 
the day ; and for most men, the best time in the day is the early 
morning hour. ' ' No matter what other books press their claims 



x INTRODUCTION 

upon your time and thought, do not open one till you have spent 
some time with the Bible. 

Read it last. Come to the Book at nightfall. The day may 
bring temptation and defeat, toil and weariness, grief and 
humiliation. Whatever has come, we still need that which 
Jesus alone can bestow. "Come unto Me, . . . and I will 
give," is His gracious invitation. There is only one condition 
— Come. And how better can we come to Him than to sit 
down for a little space with His word, telling Him our heart's 
need, and listening to His message to us? 

Read it on the Sabbath. How much better we should 
know the Bible if we read it more upon the Sabbath! And we 
should keep the Sabbath better if we read the Bible more. 
Sometimes we excuse ourselves for not reading God's word, on 
the plea of lack of time; but "there's time to read upon the 
Sabbath day." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 




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THE SUFFICING BIBLE 

When I am tired) the Bible is my bed; 

Or in the dark, the Bible is my light; 
When I am hungry, it is vital bread; 

Or fearful, it is armor for the fight. 
When I am sick, 'tis healing medicine; 
Or lonely, thronging friends I find therein. 

If I would work, the Bible is my tool; 

Or play, it is a harp of happy sound; 
If I am ignorant, it is my school; 

If I am sinking, it is solid ground. 
If I am cold, the Bible is my fire; 
And it is wings, if boldly I aspire. 

Should I be lost, the Bible is my guide ; 

Or naked, it is raiment rich and warm. 
Am I imprisoned? it is ranges wide; 

Or tempest-tossed? a shelter from the 
storm. 
Would I adventure, 'tis a gallant sea; 
Or would I rest, it is a flowery lea. 

Does gloom oppress? the Bible is a sun; 

Or ugliness? it is a garden fair. 
Am I athirst? how cool its currents run! 

Or stifled? what a vivifying air! 
Since thus thou givest of thyself to me, 
How should I give myself, great Book, to 
thee? 

— Amos E. Wells. 

i 

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THE BIBLE YEAR 

First Week: January 1-7 

1. Gen. 1-3: Creation; sin; salvation. 

2. Gen. 4-7: Enoch; Noah; the ark and the Flood. 

3. Gen. 8-11: A new beginning; Babel. 

4. Gen. 12-15: A man of faith; tithing; the covenant. 

5. Gen. 16-19: Lot delivered; Sodom destroyed. 

6. Gen. 20-22: Abraham's faith tested. 

7. Gen. 23-25: Marriage of Isaac; Jacob and Esau. 

How the Bible Received Its Name 

The Bible is the literature of a race, — "the chosen litera- 
ture of the chosen writers of the chosen nation." We are in 
the habit of thinking of the Bible as one book; but really it 
is a good-sized library, with sixty-six books, written by many 
different men, of varied degrees of education and widely di- 
vergent surroundings and occupations, during a time period 
extending from the days of Moses to near the close of the first 
century after Christ. However, the singular form of both the 
words "Bible" and "Scripture" "emphasizes the fact that, 
under the diversity of human authorship, there lies a wonderful 
unity, pointing to the operation of one directing Mind, which 
acted during more than a thousand consecutive years when these 
writings were being produced." 

The name "Bible," meaning "the books," is found no- 
where in the Scripture itself. It comes to us from the Latin 
biblia (books), which, in turn, came from the Greek biblia, 
the plural of biblion, which is the diminutive of biblos. The 
reason the Greeks called a book biblos (the singular form) was 
because the ancient books were written on material made from 
the biblus, or papyrus, reed. Just as we speak of the printed 
sheets of paper with the news printed on them as ' ' the paper, ' ' 
so' they spoke of a scroll of biblus sheets with writing on them 
as ' * the biblos, ' l and a number of them would be biblia (plural) . 

It is thought that the Greek word for the name "Bible" 
was first applied to the sacred writings by John Chrysostom, 
patriarch of Constantinople from A. d. 398 to 404. 

(13) 



14 THE BIBLE YEAH 

The Old Testament Canon 

We find the name "Old Testament' ' first used in 2 Cor. 
3: 14, where it refers to the old covenant given to Israel, and 
to the sacred books connected with it. To Ezra and his as- 
sociates is generally attributed the work of first collecting and 
arranging the books of the Old Testament canon, about 457 
B. c. A few books may have been added later. 

It is interesting to note how the word "canon" came to 
be applied to the books of the Bible. Martin Anstey says: 
"The word ' canon' means a rod, a rule, a standard, an au- 
thority. As applied to the books of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, it indicates that these writings and these alone con- 
stitute an exhaustive and an authoritative expression of the 
mind of God, an objective standard or rule of faith, and a 
final court of appeal, valid for all time in all matters pertain- 
ing to life and salvation. The word 'canon,' as applied to 
the books of the Bible, indicates that these books are to be 
clearly distinguished, and definitely marked off, from all other 
literature as being of divine origin, and possessing divine au- 
thority. ' ' 

Great Versions of the Bible 

The first copies of the Scriptures were, of course, in manu- 
script form, and written, for the most part, in the Hebrew. 
Three small portions were written in Aramaic. 

The Septuagint. — The first complete translation of the Old 
Testament into another language is the Greek version, known 
as the Alexandrian Version, or the Septuagint. ' i Septuagint ' ' 
is a Latin word meaning ' ' seventy ; ' ' and the Greek transla- 
tion was so called because, according to tradition, it was the 
work of seventy Jewish scholars at Alexandria, in Egypt. It 
was made sometime between the years 250 and 150 B. c, prob- 
ably for the benefit of the thousands of .lows living away from 
Palestine, who had adopted the Greek, at that time the leading 
language of the world. Scholars agree that ' l this Greek trans- 
lation is a very free one, departing in many cases from the 
original Hebrew text, to which the Jew held so tenaciously and 
with such reverent awe." 

The Vulgate. — England's first Bible was the Vulgate. 
Sidney Collett says: "In the second century of the Christian 
era, Latin superseded Greek, and remained for many years the 
diplomatic language of Europe. At this time, a Latin trans- 



THE BIBLE YEAR 15 

lation was made in North Africa from the Septuagint version 
of the Old Testament and the original Greek of the New, so that 
all Latin-speaking people might be able to read the word of 
God. It is known as the 'Vulgate,' which itself is a Latin 
word, meaning 'to make common or public.' " 

The Douay Bible. — In the fourth century A. d., the Vulgate 
was revised by Jerome, a Latin scholar who had access to an- 
cient Hebrew manuscripts, long since lost. From it was made 
the Koman Catholic Bible now known as the Douay version, 
but called, at first, the Douay-Ehemish Bible, for the reason 
that the Old Testament was translated at Douay, a university 
town in northern France, and the New Testament at Kheims. 
It was printed in English at Douay in 1609-10. 

The First English Bible. — The Venerable Bede translated 
the Psalms and the Gospels into the Anglo-Saxon tongue in the 
eighth century, but it was not till 1382 that the first complete 
translation of the Bible in the English language was made. 
This translation, by John Wycliffe, was never printed; but 
many written copies were made and circulated, some of which 
are in existence to-day. To make a single copy required about 
ten months. 

The First Printed English Bible. — In 1525, William 
Tyndale completed a translation of the New Testament, and 
despite almost insurmountable difficulties and severe persecu- 
tion, had it published. This was the first printed New Testa- 
ment. "In all, at least fifteen thousand copies were issued, 
which were secretly imported into England in bales of cloth, 
sacks of flour, etc." Many copies were seized and burned; and 
in October, 1536, Tyndale himself was strangled and burned 
at the stake. His work was carried on by Miles Coverdale, who 
in 1535 first gave to the world the whole Bible in printed form. 

The Authorized Version. — The Authorized Version of the 
Bible, commonly in use at the present time, was made under 
the direction of King James I, of England, and is often called 
the King James Version. The work of translation was done 
by fifty-four men, "including High Churchmen, Puritans, and 
the best scholars in the land," and was completed and pub- 
lished in 1611. "The beautiful and stately language of the 
Authorized Version so endeared itself to English-speaking peo- 
ple all over the world that it remained the Bible of the people 
for nearly three centuries." In this version, marginal refer- 
ences were used on a large scale for the first time. 



16 THE BIBLE YEAR 

The Revised Version. — There are two recent revisions of 
the Scriptures, the English Kevised Version and the American 
Eevised Version. The discovery of a number of ancient manu- 
scripts, and a more accurate knowledge of the original texts, 
made a revision seem desirable; and in 1870, the work was un- 
dertaken by nearly one hundred men, the best who could be 
chosen for the purpose. In 1885, the English Eevised Version 
was published, and the committee having that work in charge 
was disbanded. The American committee continued its study; 
and in 1901, the American Standard Eevised Bible was pub- 
lished. 

A study of the different versions of the Bible, and of the 
sacred manuscripts still in existence, is fascinating. Eead what 
is said about them in your Bible dictionary. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 17 

Second Week: January 8-14 

8. Gen. 26, 27 : Jacob deceives Isaac. 

9. Gen. 28-30: Vision of angels; marriage of Jacob. 
.10. Gen. 31-33: A changed heart and a changed name. 

11. Gen. 34-36: God's covenant renewed to Jacob. 

12. Gen. 37-39 : From sonship to slavery. 

13. Gen. 40-42 : From prison to palace. 

14. Gen. 43-45: Sorrow turned to joy. 

The Book of Genesis 

By the Hebrews, this book was called by its first word, 
B 'reshith, which means ' l In the beginning. ' ' The name l ' Gene- 
sis " is a Greek word, first used in the Septuagint, or Greek 
version of the Scriptures, and means creation, origin, beginning. 
Genesis is the Book of Beginnings. It tells of "the origin, (1) 
of the universe, including the earth and the human race; (2) of 
the fundamental human institutions, including the family, 
church, and government; (3) of human history, including sin 
and redemption; and (4) of the nations, including the chosen 
family and race." The book of Genesis "may therefore be 
considered as the historical foundation, without which the sub- 
sequent history of the covenant people would be incomplete 
and unintelligible. ' ' 

We may think of Genesis as containing the histories of 
three families: Adam's (chapters 1-5); Noah's (6-11); and 
Abraham's (12-50). 

Another simple plan for outlining the book calls chapters 
1 to 11 : 26 Primeval History, and the remainder Patriarchal 
History. 

Still another divides the contents of the book into three 
parts, thus: Creation (1, 2); The Fall (3-11); Redemption 
(12-50). 

It has also been suggested that the construction of the book 
of Genesis demands eleven chapters instead of fifty, each one, 
except the first, beginning, "These are the generations of." 
One great purpose of the book is to reveal a line of descend- 
ants from which the Messiah, the promised Seed, should spring. 
"That is one of the great things that unifies the Bible from 
Genesis to Revelation. It is a component cord of blue and 
crimson that runs all through the Book, and binds together in 
a glorious necklace all the promises in God's word." 



18 THE BIBLE YEAR 

The first eleven chapters cover in a very brief way more 
than one third of the history of the world since creation. Then 
the history of the chosen people is taken up more in detail. 
"The plan of the writer was, evidently, to connect the history 
of Israel with the larger history of mankind; and the method 
followed was that of continually passing from a wider to a 
narrower field, until at last the history of Jacob-Israel was 
reached. Thus he passed from the universe (chapter 1) to 
mankind (Adam); from mankind to the line of Noah; from 
the sons of Noah to one line, Shem; from all the Shemites to 
the line of Terah-Abraham ; from all of Abraham's line to that 
of Isaac; and from the story of Jacob and Esau (the line of 
Isaac) to that of Jacob alone." 

The book of Genesis covers a time period of 2,369 years, 
or more than all the other books of the Bible put together. 
"Its fifty chapters would thus describe, on the average, the 
events of this world's history at the rate of about two chapters 
for each hundred years. Brief indeed is the record! It is as 
if two or three such chapters should cover the history of the 
world since the Eevolution. ' ' 

The book of Genesis has one supreme purpose, — to reveal 
God as the Creator, and His Son, the Seed, as the Saviour of 
mankind. 

The Biographies of Genesis 

The book of Genesis contains one of the most fascinating 
collections of biographies to be found anywhere. Some of 
these biographies are better known, and have more strongly 
influenced the world for good, than the lives of the greatest 
men of history outside the Bible record. The account of the 
life of Enoch, brief though it is, shows that evil surroundings 
need not hinder godly living. He is a type, too, of those who 
at the close of human history will live pure lives in a corrupt 
world, and who, like him, will not know death. Noah, a 
"preacher of righteousness, ' ' is an example of loyal steadfast- 
ness of purpose in giving an unpopular message to an unheed- 
ing, careless people. The faith of Abraham, "the friend of 
God," has been a strength to Christians in every age. The 
selfishness of Lot, and the destruction that overtook his worldly 
possessions, point the reader to the vanity of trusting in earthly 
riches. What character so stands for cunning as the crafty 
Jacob's? Or whose life so inspires confidence in God in the 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 19 

hour of trouble as that of this same man when his heart was 
changed, and he became a "prince with God"? Joseph has 
been the model for purity, brotherly kindness, and filial affec- 
tion, from the days of Moses. These biographies, so briefly 
told, are like stars shining in the darkness, and have guided 
many to the way of life. 

As You Read 

1.. Meditate. The longer you think about what you read, 
the more clearly you will grasp it, and the more easily you will 
remember it. 

2. Use Bible helps, — a Bible dictionary, Bible concordance, 
Bible commentaries, books about the Holy Land, etc. But al- 
ways make the Bible first, remembering that "one drop of the 
essential tincture of the word of God is better than a sea full 
of our commentings and sermonizings. ' ' 

3. Use a notebook, and jot down helpful texts, promises, 
etc. It is said that every great truth of the Bible has its roots 
in Genesis. Make a list of such truths. 



20 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Third Week: January 15-21 

15. Gen. 46,47: A joyful meeting. 

16. Gen. 48-50: Death of Jacob and Joseph. 

17. Ex. 1-4: Oppression; the call of Moses; Aaron. 

18. Ex. 5-8: Warnings and plagues. 

19. Ex. 9-11: Plagues. 

20. Ex. 12,13: The first Passover; by fire and cloud. 

21. Ex. 14,15: Through the Eed Sea; a song of triumph. 

Mastering the Books of the Bible 

This week marks the completion of the reading of the first 
book. If it is possible, by all means reread it, in one or two 
sittings, reviewing the main facts. Turn the leaves one by one, 
and think through the chapters. 

If you have time, read over the suggested outlines given 
last week, select the one that pleases you best, and outline the 
book accordingly, adding carefully-thought-out sub-titles. 

Bible Reading by Books 

It seems a pity that so many persons never come to the 
place where they are willing to read the Bible a book at a time, 
as they would read any' other book of the same length, in 
which they were absorbingly interested. Yet to read the Bible 
in this way, mastering book after book, "is to fill the mind 
with the great thoughts of God. " 

Years ago, on a Pacific liner, a young woman was observed 
to bring her Bible to the deck morning after morning. She 
was reading it, a book at a time; and her conversation on the 
subject showed that she had discovered the satisfaction of read- 
ing the Bible, not as a hard, unpleasant duty, but as a privilege 
and a joy. 

Dr. Gray tells the story of a man who went into the country 
one day to spend the Sabbath, taking with him a small copy 
of the epistle to the Ephesians. "In the afternoon, going out 
into the woods and lying down under a tree, he began to read 
it; he read it through at a single sitting, and finding his interest 
aroused, read it through again the same way, and, his interest 
increasing, again and again. ' ' In all, he read it through twelve 
or fifteen times; and, said he, "When I arose to go into the 
house, I was in possession of Ephesians; or, better yet, it was 
in possession of me; and I had been lifted up to sit in heavenly 



THE BIBLE YEAE 21 

places in Jesus Christ in an experimental sense in which that 
had not been true in me before, and will never cease to be 
true in me again. " 

Almost every Bible reader knows that originally its books 
were not divided into chapters and verses. The division into 
chapters was made in the early part of the thirteenth century; 
and the division of the chapters into verses was made after the 
art of printing had been invented, about the middle of the six- 
teenth century. 

While these divisions are very convenient for reference, they 
have doubtless in many cases served to obscure the meaning. 
The books of the Bible are like other books in that there is an 
introduction, a development, and a conclusion. (( Every book 
of the Bible has an object, as well as a subject;" and in order 
really to get its message, one needs to read it through without 
reference to these artificial divisions. To stop at the end of a 
chapter or verse, often breaks the thought of the book, and 
hence obscures the meaning. 

Topical study is to be commended after a comprehensive 
survey of the Bible as a whole has been made, and when such 
general study is continued; but topical study alone, without 
much study of the contexts from which the texts are taken, is 
very likely to lead to misinterpretations. The person who 
studies in this way only is likely to think of the Bible merely 
as a collection of texts to which he may go for blocks with 
which to build up a creed, or for ammunition with which to 
overthrow an enemy. 

So while we give a place of honor to this method of study, 
recognizing that Jesus Himself used it, and that the special 
truths for this present time demand it, we must remember that 
the best understanding of the Word cannot be obtained by 
making topical study the first or only method. It is possible 
that under exceptional conditions, the germ might be taken 
from the grain of corn, planted, and made to grow; but the 
all-wise Creator embedded it in the starch of the grain from 
which its early life should be nourished. 

In view of these facts, we urge all who shall spend ' i a. year 
with the Book" to read, whenever possible, a book at a time* 
The daily assignments are made as a matter of convenience 
for those who wish to follow this plan; they will also give the 
reader an idea whether or not he is keeping up with the read- 



22 THE BIBLE YEAR 

ing. But those who read by subjects and by books, who read, 
reread, and read again, will obtain a new vision of God's un- 
folding revelation. 

The Original Languages of the Bible 

1 ' The original languages of the Biblical books were Hebrew, 
Aramaic, and Greek. Nearly all the Old Testament was com- 
posed in Hebrew, the language spoken by Israel in Canaan be- 
fore the exile, but after the return gradually giving way — as 
the speech of common intercourse — to the Aramaic. . . . 
Parts of Daniel and Ezra and one verse of Jeremiah (10: 11) 
are in Aramaic. There is also an Aramaic coloring to many 
expressions scattered through the Old Testament. A dialect 
of Aramaic was the vernacular of Palestine in New Testament 
times, and it is probable that Jesus' teachings were spoken by 
Him in Aramaic, and later rendered into Greek by the teachers 
of the early apostolic church. Apart from this Aramaic basis 
of the Gospels, especially the first three, and of some material 
in Acts, the New Testament was composed entirely in Greek, 
the Greek of ordinary intercourse in the Hellenistic world. ' ; 

What President Wilson Says About the Bible 

Early in 1917, the Scripture Gift Mission asked President 
Wilson to write an inscription to be printed on the flyleaf of 
each book distributed by the mission. The president's reply, 
given below, shows that he knows the Book : 

July 23, 1917. 
The White House, 

Washington. 
The Bible is the word of life. I beg that you will read it and find 
this out for yourselves — read, not little snatches here and there, but 
long passages that will really be the road to the heart of it. You will 
find it full of real men and women not only, but also of the things you 
have wondered about and been troubled about all your life, as men 
have been always; and the more you read the more it will become plain 
to you what things are worth while and what are not, what things 
make men happy — loyalty, right dealing, speaking the truth, readi- 
ness to give everything for what they think their duty, and, most of 
all, the wish that they may have the real approval of the Christ, who 
gave everything for them — and the things that are guaranteed to make 
men unhappy — selfishness, cowardice, greed, and everything that is low 
and mean. When you have read the Bible, you will know that it is the 
word of God, because you will have found it the key to your own heart, 
your own happiness, and your own duty. 

(Signed) Woodrow Wilson. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 23 

Fourth Week: January 22-28 

22. Ex. 16,17: The Sabbath honored; victory over Amalek. 

23. Ex. 18-20: Jethro; Sinai; the law spoken. 

24. Ex. 21-23: Laws; warnings; promises. 

25. Ex. 24-27: A willing offering; the sanctuary. 

26. Ex. 28,29: The priesthood; offerings. 

27. Ex. 30, 31 : The Sabbath a sign. 

28. Ex. 32,33: Idolatry; punishment. 

Exodus 

In the Hebrew Bible, this book is called by its opening 
words, which mean, "And these are the names. ft The name 
' ' Exodus, ' ' given to the book in the Greek translation, signifies 
literally, "Going out, " or "Departure," and refers to the 
going forth of Israel from Egypt. 

Genesis closes with the family of Israel, comfortable and 
prosperous, pleasantly settled in Egypt. Exodus opens with 
that same family, grown "more and mightier" than the Egyp- 
tians, in bitter bondage and oppression. The book relates in 
detail the story of their great deliverance, and shows how they 
became a nation, with a thorough organization, efficient leader- 
ship, a complete code of laws, and an established form of 
worship. 

The great purpose of the book is to relate the first steps in 
the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob. 

Three far-reaching systems of laws are revealed in Exodus, 
— moral, ceremonial, and civil; and prominence is given to the 
essential truth of redemption by blood. The necessity of abso- 
lute obedience to the commands of Jehovah, and of utter sepa- 
ration from the world — as individuals, by families, and even 
in business affairs — is clearly taught. 

The life of Moses, from his romantic rescue from Egyptian 
malice in his infancy, through all the thrilling years of his 
wonderful experiences as the chosen leader of Israel, is of ab- 
sorbing interest. 

Outlining the Book of Exodus 

Many plans are suggested for arranging this book by sub- 
jects. Here are a few: 



24 THE BIBLE YEAR 

1. History (1-18); Laws (19-24); Worship (25-40). 

2. Historical (1-19); Legislative (20-40). 

3. Slavery, Salvation, Sinai, Service. 

Sinai 

The peninsula of Sinai is a triangle whose western side 
extends along the Gulf of Suez for about one hundred and 
ninety miles, and whose eastern border is washed by the waters 
of the Gulf of Akabah. The peninsula contains about 11,500 
square miles, being somewhat larger than the state of Vermont. 
' ' A rugged mass of granite mountains occupies the body of the 
peninsula, the eastern and western ranges meeting in an angle 
at the south.' r 

''The Scripture use of the two names 'Sinai' and 'Horeb' 
('dry') is such as to make it probable that 'Horeb' was the 
general name for the mountain group, and 'Sinai' the name of 
the special summit on which Jehovah descended in fire and 
'talked with' Israel." 

There has been considerable discussion as to which of the 
numerous peaks of the Sinai peninsula is the one from which 
the law was given. The general opinion, however, points to 
the northern peak of an isolated ridge, two miles long from 
northwest to southeast, and about a mile broad. This northern 
peak, Ras-es-Safsafeh, rises "high above all other mountains 
near it, and in sight, and is so isolated from them by the plain 
and by deep and steep ravines, that bounds might have been set 
around it.. At its very base lies the Wadi-er-Rahah ('rest'), 
a plain two miles long from southeast to northwest, and a half 
mile wide, containing two million square yards' available stand- 
ing room, a space doubled by the valleys which open into it on 
the east." 

The Law Given 

One of the most noteworthy events of this world's history 
is found in our reading this week, — the giving of the Ten 
Commandments, spoken by God Himself, in the hearing of His 
chosen people. "All eyes," says one writer, "may well be 
turned to Exodus 20, and the sublime event therein recorded." 

This law is the foundation of God's government, and will 
endure forever. On this point, Mrs. E. G. White says, "The 
sun shining in the heaven, the solid earth upon which you dwell, 
are God's witnesses that His law is changeless and eternal." 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 25 

Some of the reasons for the awe-inspiring and solemnizing 
material manifestations of God at Sinai are thus set forth by 
Eawlinson: "No revelation that God has made of Himself has 
ever been so terrible in its material accompaniments as that at 
Sinai, and no occasion can ever be conceived of as more needing 
the employment of solemn, startling, and impressive circum- 
stances. Here was a people gross of heart, delighting in flesh- 
pots, debased by slavery, careless of freedom, immoral, inclined 
to idolatry, which had to be elevated into God's living witness 
among the nations, the depositary of His truth, the teacher of 
the rest of mankind for ages. Given the object of impressing 
such a nation permanently with the convictions that it had re- 
ceived a divine revelation, and that very dreadful consequences 
would follow the neglect of it, and the need of the thunders 
and other terrors of Sinai becomes manifest. " 

The Lesson of Reverence 

The lesson of reverence is strongly emphasized by the prepa- 
rations enjoined on the people at Sinai. The "mount of God" 
was made holy by the divine presence; the buildings dedicated 
to His service and worship to-day, where His people gather to 
hear His word, should likewise be regarded as sacred. 



26 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Fifth Week: January 29 to February 4 

29. Ex. 34-36: Commandments rewritten; willing service. 

30. Ex. 37, 38 : Furniture of the tabernacle. 

31. Ex. 39, 40 : The tabernacle finished and dedicated. 

1. Lev. 1-4: Burnt, meal, peace, and sin offerings. 

2. Lev. 5-7: Trespass offerings. 

3. Lev. 8-10: Consecration; desecration. 

4. Lev. 11, 12 : Clean and unclean. 

Leviticus 

This name is given to the third book of the Bible because 
it deals chiefly with the Levites and the priests, and their 
services and duties in connection with the sanctuary and its 
worship. It also sets forth the duties of the people in regard 
to worship, offerings, and sacrifices. 

The time covered is very brief, being only the first month 
of the second year of the wilderness wandering. Three brief 
narratives are introduced. 

The great theme of Leviticus is holiness, — a holy God, a 
holy priesthood, a holy people. The Hebrew word for holiness 
is said to occur 159 times in the book. ' * The holiness of God 
shines like a white, fearful light upon the whole book. It is 
in contrast with that holiness that the sin of man is seen and 
understood. . . . Leviticus speaks f orevermore of the awfulness 
of sin in the light of the holiness of God, of the plenteous re- 
demption springing from the love of God, of the possibility of 
holiness of life, created by communion with God. ; ; 

The purpose of Leviticus " is to reveal God 's method of 
dealing with sin. The entire book is fragrant of Christ. Every 
sacrifice, every garment, every ceremony, points to Him. " 

Do not make the mistake of thinking that because this is 
a book of ancient laws, and rites, and ceremonies, therefore 
it is unimportant and may be lightly passed over. Eead care- 
fully chapter 16, dealing with the cleansing of the sanctuary; 
note what is said concerning talebearing, acceptable offerings, 
the sacredness of the tithe, etc.; especially notice how often, 
and in how many ways, the duty of loving our neighbor is 
enjoined. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 27 

Chapter Study 

Try summarizing the contents of each chapter, after you 
have read it, according to some such outline as this: (1) Object; 
(2) Prominent Persons; (3) Eeference to Christ; (4) Leading 
Lesson; (5) Personal Help. 

Do not allow such study to become merely a matter of form. 
Properly carried out, it will l ' yield an accurate, detailed knowl- 
edge of the facts contained in each chapter of the Bible, a 
useful discipline for the will, and a fruitful quickening of the 
devotional life. " 

If You Have Time 

Eeview the book of Exodus. Note its relation to Genesis 
and Leviticus. It is a history of rebellion and forgiveness, of 
murmuring and mercy. Mark these divisions in your Bible. 
How has the reading of this book helped you? 

Study the different offerings mentioned in your daily reading 
in Leviticus, till they are clearly defined in your mind. Note the 
restrictions given in regard to food. Bead what the Bible dic- 
tionary says about lepers and leprosy. Note how often and 
how minutely the thought is brought out that God is particular 
about details. 



28 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

Sixth Week: February 5-11 

5. Lev. 13, 14 : Leprosy. 

6. Lev. 35,16: Ceremonial purification ; atonement. 

7. Lev. 17-19: Instruction; warnings; laws. 

8. Lev. 20-22 : Various laws. 

9. Lev. 23-25: The Sabbath; blasphemy; year of jubilee. 

10. Lev. 26, 27 : Warnings and promises. 

11. Num. 1-3: A census; order; redemption money. 

The Pentateuch 

The first five books of the Bible are called the Pentateuch, 
a word meaning * ' five books ; f ' namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviti- 
cus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Like the name " Bible,' ' the 
word il Pentateuch ' ' is nowhere found in the Scripture itself. 
The Jews called these books, when speaking of them collec- 
tively, the law, the law of Moses, the book of Moses, the book 
of the law of Moses, the law of the Lord, the book of the law 
of God, and the book of the law of the Lord. They also called 
them by a special title which means "the five fifths of the 
law; " that is, the whole, the complete law. In Hebrew manu- 
scripts, the five books are still considered as one, though the 
different books are called by the title of their opening words. 

The five books comprising the Pentateuch were written, it is 
thought, during a period of about forty years, and they record 
the history of the world from the beginning to 1451 B. c. 

Some Bible writers add the book of Joshua to the Penta- 
teuch, and give the name ' ' Hexateuch, " or "six books, ' ' to the 
whole collection. 

The Books of the Bible 

There are sixty-six books in the Bible, thirty-nine in the Old 
Testament and twenty-seven in the New. The books of each 
Testament may be grouped under live heads, as follows : 

Old Testament New Testament 

Law books 5 Gospels 4 

Historical books 12 Historical books 1 

Poetical books 5 Pauline letters 14 1 

Major prophets 5 General letters 7 

Minor prophets 12 Prophetical books 1 

Total 39 Total 27 



1 Many authorities give the number of the Pauline epistles as 13, 
and place the book of Hebrews in the General Epistles. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 29 

It will be observed that these books are grouped largely ac- 
cording to their contents. Thus the law books form one group, 
the historical books another group, and so on. Some one has 
said that all the books of the Bible may be arranged around 
four words, — Precept, Practice, Principle, and Prophecy. The 
following table, arranged by Alexander Patterson, shows at a 
glance how the books of both the Old and the New Testament 
group themselves around these key words: 

The Old Testament The New Testament 

The Pentateuch Books of Precept The Gospels 

Historical Books Books of Practice The Acts 

Poetical Books Books of Principles The Epistles 

Prophetical Books Books of Prophecy The Revelation 

Be sure to learn the names of the books of the Bible, and 
drill yourself in saying them till they are as familiar to you as 
the letters of the alphabet. Then learn them by groups. 

Words, Verses, Chapters 

It seems strange to us to think that there ever was a time 
when the Bible was not divided into chapters and verses; 
stranger still to know that once even the words were written 
with no space between them ; strangest of all, that in the ancient 
Hebrew language, in which most of the Old Testament was 
originally written, all the vowel characters were omitted, and 
only those which represented consonant sounds were written. 
It was as if we should write the first verse of the Old Testa- 
ment thus: 

NTHBGNNNGGDCRTDTHHVNNDTHKTH. 

Gradually changes in the way the writing was done took 
place. Words began to be separated from one another, it is 
said, in the days of Ezra; still there were no chapters marked, 
and no verses. 

The division of the books of the Bible into chapters is at- 
tributed to two men, — a Spanish cardinal, Hugo, and an English 
archbishop, Stephen Langton. Both these men lived in the 
thirteenth century. This arrangement was soon adopted into 
the Vulgate, or Latin Bible, and was later transferred by a 
learned rabbi to the Hebrew Bible. 

The division into chapters is purely arbitrary, and often 
breaks into the narrative or argument presented. However, it 
is a great convenience for reference, and has not been changed 



30 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

in the two great revisions made since it was introduced, — the 
King James, or Authorized Version, issued in 1611, and the 
Revised Version, completed in 1885. 

About three hundred years after the division of the books 
of the Bible into chapters came into general use, another im- 
provement was made. A Greek New Testament was published 
in 1551 by Robert Stephens, and in it the verses were marked. 
Mr. Stephens' son wrote afterward that the plan of dividing 
the chapters of the Bible into verses came to his father while 
he was on a lonely horseback ride from Paris to Lyons. The 
new form met with favor, was soon adopted into the Vulgate, 
and has been in constant use ever since. s 

Outline for Leviticus 

Offerings (1-7) ; Priests (8-10) ; Purity (11-16) ; Holiness 
(17-22) ; Feasts (23) ; Laws (24-27). 

A slightly fuller outline is the following: Law of Sacrifice 
(1-7) ; Consecration of Priesthood (8-10) ; Law of Clean and 
Unclean; day of atonement (11-16); Law of Holiness (17-27). 



THE BIBLE YEAE 31 

Seventh Week: February 12-18 

12. Num. 4-6: Separated for service. 

13. Num. 7, 8 : Princely off erings. 

14. Num. 9-11: Following the cloud; murmurings; punish- 

ment. 

15. Num. 12-14: Jealousy punished; reward of unbelief. 

16. Num. 15, 16 : Sin and punishment. 

17. Num. 17-19: Aaron honored; support of priests and 

Levites. 

18. Num. 20,21: Sin of Moses and Aaron; life for a look. 

Numbers 

This book takes its name from the fact that it contains two 
censuses, or numberings, of Israel, one at Sinai, the other in 
the plains of Moab, thirty-eight years later. In the Hebrew 
Bible, this book is called B'midhbar ("in the wilderness"), 
which is the fifth word of Num. 1: 1. This is a very fitting 
title, for it records the fortunes of Israel in the Sinaitic desert. 
In the first Greek translation of the Old Testament — the Sep- 
tuagint — the book was called Arithmoi (from which comes our 
word "arithmetic"), and in the Latin Vulgate, Numeri. These 
words, like our English title, refer to the two censuses that 
were taken. The time covered by this book is about thirty-eight 
years. 

Numbers has also been aptly called "The Book of Jour- 
neys." The first chapters are a continuation of Leviticus; but 
beginning with chapter 9, the narrative of Exodus, which left 
Israel encamped at Sinai, is resumed. Their main experiences 
on the way to Kadesh-barnea are quite fully recorded; but of 
the years in the wilderness, little is told save that the camp was 
moved from time to time. 

"The book of Numbers is rich in fragments of ancient 
poetry, some of them of great beauty, and all throwing an in- 
teresting light on the times in which they were composed. Such, 
for instance, is the blessing of the high priest (6: 24-26). Such, 
too, are the chants which were the signal for the ark to move 
when the people journeyed, and for it to rest when they were 
about to encamp." The beautiful prophetic poems uttered by 
Balaam, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, appeal no 
less to the mind and the heart than to the ear, so lofty and 
musical are their cadences. 



32 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Life for a Look 

The New Testament is interwoven with the Old; the Old 
Testament is the background of the New. The one supplements 
and completes the other. Long after the brazen serpent was 
lifted up in the wilderness, Jesus referred to the incident in the 
familiar words, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder- 
ness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Of the ser- 
pent of brass it was said, "Every one that is bitten, when he 
looketh upon it, shall live. ' ' To those bitten by the serpent of 
sin,- Jesus gives the invitation, "Look unto Me, and be ye 
saved. ' ' 

"We can understand why Christ should be represented by 
the innocent lamb and animals of like nature; but how can He 
be fitly represented by the serpent, the beast that is the symbol 
of Satan? We see in this to what degree our Lord descended 
in order to rescue us. He was i made a curse for us ; ... cursed 
is every one that hangeth on a tree/ Jesus experienced that 
which Paul said he could wish for himself — he was accursed 
for His brethren. " 

In later years, the children of Israel made an idol of this 
brazen image, and burned incense before it. It was destroyed 
by Hezekiah. 

The Rosetta Stone 

A hundred years ago the Old Testament "stood alone in an 
otherwise unknown age. It was the only known representative 
of the ten centuries preceding the rise of Greece and Rome. One 
hundred years ago there was not a single document contempo- 
raneous with the Old Testament known to be in existence. ' ' 

But a little over a hundred years ago the world 's knowledge 
of Bible times began to be increased. In 1799, as one result of 
Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, the Rosetta Stone (so named 
because it was unearthed near Rosetta, at the mouth of the Nile) 
was discovered. This stone was of black granite, three feet 
nine inches high, two feet four and one-half inches wide, and 
eleven inches thick. It is supposed to have been at least twelve 
inches higher, and to have had a rounded top at the time when 
it was set up, 195 B. c. 

The smooth face of the stone was divided into three parts, 
one above another. On each of these appeared an inscription, — 
the upper one resembling the hieroglyphics seen everywhere on 
monuments and obelisks in Egypt; the middle section covered 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 33 

with another kind of script; and the lower written in Greek. 
This last inscription was easily deciphered. It told the name 
of the man in whose honor the monument was erected, Ptolemy 
Epiphanes, and recited various creditable deeds attributed to 
him. Naturally the other two inscriptions were at once as- 
sumed to be a repetition of this story, and the value of the 
stone was immediately recognized. After copies of the writings 
had been made, the stone was carefully packed and sent to 
England. It is now one of the treasures of the British Museum. 

In 1818, after years of painstaking study, a French scholar 
succeeded in deciphering the remaining inscriptions of the Eo- 
setta Stone, and in so doing, "unlocked the old door to the 
civilization of the Nile valley. . . . The stately obelisks and 
majestic columns were still as the tomb; but their story now 
rings through the enlightened nations of the earth. Their de- 
signers and builders perished thousands of years ago; . . . but 
their testimony abides, unchallenged, chiseled in imperishable 
rocks. ? ' 

In the great mass of material yielded by the Nile valley since 
the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the deciphering of its 
inscriptions, the Christian world finds abundant "testimony to 
the accuracy of the records and hints of the Old Testament re- 
garding the character of the ancient Egyptians. ' ' 



2— Bible Year 



34 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Eighth Week: February 19-25 

19. Num. 22-24: " The hire of wrongdoing. ' ' 

20. Num. 25-27: The second census; the new leader. 

21. Num. 28-30: Offerings and vows. 

22. Num. 31, 32 : Conquest of Midian. 

23. Num. 33,34: Encampments; boundaries of Canaan. 

24. Num. 35, 36 : Cities of refuge. 

25. Deut. 1-3: Eetrospect. 

You May Do Wrong 

Sometimes God allows men to have their own way — and 
often this is a part of the penalty for their disobedience. 
"When I was a young preacher/ ' said John A. Hutton, "I 
believed that if one transgressed the law, something would 
rise up out of the ground and hit him. I 've got hold of a new 
idea now. It is this : If you want to do wrong, you may. That 
is a more dreadful thought. M 

Balaam wanted to do wrong. He knew the right, but he 
chose the evil. He had heard the voice of God; but he lis- 
tened to the voice of flattery, and sold his soul for the wages 
of unrighteousness. Sad indeed was the end of this man, who 
had seen ' ' the vision of the Almighty ' ' and known * l the knowl- 
edge of the Most High"! 

The Key to the Cuneiform Inscriptions 

The finding of the Bosetta Stone awakened a great desire 
among Bible students everywhere to explore the historical lands 
of southwestern Asia, in the hope of finding still further con- 
firmation of the sacred record. All through the nineteenth cen- 
tury, and up to the present, the work of surveying, locating, 
excavating, collecting, and comparing has gone steadily for- 
ward. The great valley of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers 
has furnished a rich field for archaeological research. For cen- 
turies, travelers through this valley had noticed many strange 
ruins and artificial mounds. Some of these men "had noticed 
and occasionally picked up, here and there, especially near the 
mounds, bits of burnt bricks, and fragments of tablets, upon 
which were found some peculiar, wedge-shaped characters. No 
one could determine whether they were writing, or simply a 
species of artistic ornamentation. ' ' Between 1808 and 1820, 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 35 

an English traveler named Bich made a collection of these 
curiously inscribed little bricks, and sent them to the British 
Museum. But no one at that time could read their story. 

In 1835, Henry C. Eawlinson, then a young English officer 
in the Persian army, found on Mount Behistun, in Persian 
Kurdistan, what is now known as the Behistun inscription. 

The mountain that attracted the attention of the young 
officer was of limestone, " rising out of the plain to a height 
of seventeen hundred feet. One side of this mass was almost 
perpendicular in form. About three hundred and fifty feet 
above the base, on this perpendicular side, Eawlinson could see 
a large space which had been carefully hewn off and polished. 
Upon this prepared surface he could also descry a large bas- 
relief representing a king, before whom stood a long line of 
captives bound neck to neck with a rope. Adjacent to this 
group were several columns of cuneiform inscriptions. ' ' The 
young officer determined to secure a copy of these; and finally, 
after working at the task at intervals for four years, in the 
face of almost insurmountable difficulties and often at the risk 
of his life, he completed the work. 

The next thing was to find the hidden meaning. Seeing that 
the inscriptions were in three languages, he at once began to 
study Sanskrit, Zend, and Pahlavi. He was already familiar 
with the Persian. With incredible patience he toiled at his 
task. Finally success crowned his efforts, and five columns of 
old Persian cuneiform writing, nearly four hundred lines, 
yielded their hidden meaning. Hereafter the cuneiform in- 
scriptions could be read. 

It was found that this ancient inscription had been made 
by order of Darius I, king of Persia, about 515 b. c. It gave 
the history of various revolts, and contained other valuable 
information. 

"On the supposition that the other two inscriptions told 
the same story, scholars began to attempt to read them. Very 
soon the second tongue, the Median, or Susian, began to yield 
its secrets. Then the third series of columns, the Babylonian, 
was forced to give up its hidden treasures. This Behistun 
group was found to sustain the same relation to the cuneiform 
languages of Babylonia that the Eosetta Stone sustained to the 
tongues of ancient Egypt. It was the key to its ancient life, 
people, and government. ' ' 



36 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

For Supplementary Study 

Eeview the book of Numbers. Make a list of sins shown by 
this record to be abhorrent to God; such as, slander (12); 
unbelief (13, 14); Sabbath breaking (15). Add others. What 
have you learned about "acceptable offerings" from reading 
this book? How are the experiences of Israel as recorded in 
it typical? What are shown to be the results of discontent! 
What brings failure in Christian experience? What lessons of 
comfort are clearly portrayed? 

Outline for Numbers 

If you have time, outline the book under the following 
heads, filling in the subordinate headings and references: 

1. Preparation Chapters 1 to 10 : 10 

2. The March Chapter 10: 11 to 21: 35 

3. The Victory Chapters 22-36 



THE BIBLE YEAR 37 

Ninth Week: February 26 to March 4 

26. Deut. 4-6: The law repeated. 

27. Deut. 7-9: Exhortation and warnings. 

28. Deut. 10-12: Eeminiscences ; pleadings; laws. 

1. Deut. 13-16: Doom of idolaters; tithing. 

2. Deut. 17-19: The corning Prophet. 

3. Deut. 20-22 : Social and moral laws. 

4. Deut. 23-25: Social and moral laws. 

Deuteronomy 

The Hebrew title of this book is an expression meaning 
i ' And these are the words. ' ' The name ' ' Deuteronomy ' ' came 
from a Greek word meaning "second law." However, this 
book is much more than a mere repetition of the laws hereto- 
fore given to Israel. "It is a rehearsal under peculiar cir- 
cumstances and for a peculiar purpose.' ' Dr. H. T. Sell says: 

"A crisis had come in the affairs of the nation, and a re- 
view of Israel's history and a restatement of God's law must 
be made. A new generation had grown up, which had not 
heard the original promulgation of the law at Sinai. A new 
country was before the nation. This country was devoted to 
an idolatrous worship of the most seductive kind. On every 
hill and in every grove this worship was carried on. An unflinch- 
ing devotion to God was necessary to resist this alluring wor- 
ship, which was more to be dreaded than any armed resistance. 
The people had been leading a nomadic life; now they were to 
be settled in cities and villages, and to till the land. The ob- 
servance of some laws had been suffered to lapse. The people 
must be shown the need of conforming their lives and conduct 
in these new relations to God's laws." 

Deuteronomy is the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch, 
and is mainly made up of three addresses by Moses, just before 
his death. In chapters 1 to 4: 40, he rehearses God's goodness 
to Israel; chapters 5 to 26 review the law for the new genera- 
tion; chapters 27 to 30 are a renewal of the covenant; chapters 
31, 32, and 33 contain Moses' final words of encouragement, 
his farewell song, and his prophetic benediction to Israel. 

These addresses by the leader of Israel were both an admo- 
nition and a farewell. "His words look both forward and 
backward — backward along the way in which they had been 
led by God, and forward along the way in which He is yet to 



38 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

lead them. The deliverance from Egypt is repeatedly made 
the motive for obedience; obedience is the condition of their 
obtaining the land before them." There was much in their 
past experience that Israel needed to remember. "Thou shalt 
remember/ ' "Lest thou forget," "Take heed to thyself," are 
expressions that occur frequently. 

The time covered by this book may be easily reckoned. It 
opens with an address given by Moses on the first day of the 
eleventh month of the fortieth year of the exodus. In Joshua 
4: 19, we read that Israel entered Canaan on the tenth day of 
the first month. This includes the thirty days' mourning for 
Moses. 

The Message of Deuteronomy 

"The first appeal of the book," says Dr. G. Campbell 
Morgan, "is to love of God. It is objected that love cannot 
be commanded. That is true. Love is born when least ex- 
pected. We love because He first loved. On the other hand, 
love can be refused. We may not love, even though He first 
loves. The message then is, ' Harden not your heart. ' Do not 
blind yourself to God's love. Detect it in the rainbow and in 
the rain, in the cross and in the red life that blossoms from 
the ground. Having detected it, answer it. The final appeal 
of Deuteronomy shows how love is answered. It is by obedi- 
ence. In answer to love, and in the power of love, obey." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 39 

Tenth Week: March 5-11 

5. Deut. 26-28: Blessings and cursings. 

6. Deut. 29-31: Mercy for the repentant; admonitions. 

7. Deut. 32-34: Song, blessing, and death of Moses. 

8. Joshua 1-4: The new leader; the end of the journey. 

9. Joshua 5-8: Obedience and victory; sin and defeat. 

10. Joshua 9-13: Days of conquest. 

11. Joshua 14-17: The choice of Caleb. 

Joshua — the Book 

The book of Joshua is the first of the twelve historical 
books, which record the history of the chosen people from their 
first occupation of the land of Canaan as a nation to the return 
from the captivity. The book is named for its leading char- 
acter, by whom a part of it is supposed to have been written. 
' ' The whole tenor of the first twelve chapters, ? ; says Fallows, 
"bespeaks an eyewitness who bore some part in the transac- 
tions; and the expression, 'We were passed over/ in chapter 
5 : 1, bears this out, as well as the circumstantial vividness of 
the narrative. . . . This section from chapters 13 to 22 in- 
clusive, which contains an account of the distribution of the 
land, seems to be based upon written documents, in which the 
property was accurately described. ;; 

The book covers a period of twenty-five years. It describes 
the conquest of Canaan, its division among the tribes, and makes 
mention of the typical rest in that land, which foreshadowed 
the complete rest of God's people in heaven. Part of the book 
is ' ' the spirited recital of heroic deeds, ' ' part of it is given up 
to geographical records, and part contains earnest admonition 
and solemn warning. 

Mount Nebo 

" Mount Nebo is not a mountain towering up in a peak; 
looking eastward from the highlands of Judea, there are no 
peaks to be seen on the Moab plateau. A knoll, now called 
Neba, on a ridge a little over nine miles from the head of the 
Dead Sea, is no doubt Mount Nebo. The ridge is half a mile 
wide, and extends toward the Jordan for two miles, and the 
western end may have been called Pisgah. ' ' — Tarbell. 



40 THE BIBLE YEAE 

An Appendix 

The last chapter of Deuteronomy, giving tHe account of the 
death of Moses, is regarded as a supplement, added by a later 
writer. "This appendix may have been attached to the roll of 
manuscript soon after the death of Moses; or, as some scholars 
suppose, what is now the last of Deuteronomy may have been 
formerly the beginning of the book of Joshua. These books 
were written before the invention of sections, divisions, and 
chapters, as well as points and pauses. At that time, several 
books were connected, following one another on the roll. The 
beginning of one book, therefore, might very easily be trans- 
ferred to the end of the preceding one, and in process of time, 
come to be regarded as its real conclusion. The author of this 
appendix was probably Joshua, the intimate friend of the great 
lawgiver, and his successor as the leader of Israel. M 

Lessons from the Life of Moses 

"Moses* life was divided into three forties. In the first 
forty years (in Egypt), he was learning to be somebody; in 
the second forty years (in Midian), he was learning to be no- 
body; in the third forty years (in the wilderness of Sinai), he 
was proving what God could do with a man who had learned 
those two lessons. ' ' — Moody. 

* ' Had Moses failed to go, had God 

Granted his prayer, there would have been 

For him no leadership to win, 
No pillar fire, no magic rod, 

No wonders in the land of Zin; 
No smiting of the sea; no tears, 

Ecstatic, shed on Sinai's steep; 

No Nebo, with a God to keep 
His burial! Only forty years 

Of desert watching with his sheep ! ' ' 



THE BIBLE YEAR 41 

Eleventh Week: March 12-18 

12. Joshua 18-21: The tabernacle set up; cities of refuge. 

13. Joshua 22-24: Joshua 's farewell; the covenant renewed. 

14. Judges 1-3: Othniel; Ehud; Shamgar. 

15. Judges 4,5: Deborah and Barak; a song of victory. 

16. Judges 6-8: Gideon. 

17. Judges 9,10: Abimelech; Tola; Jair. 

18. Judges 11,12: Jephthah; Ibzan; Elon; Abdon. 

Joshua — the Man 

Joshua, "born a slave in the brick fields of Egypt, " and 
chosen by divine appointment to succeed Moses as leader of 
Israel, was about forty years old at the time of the Exodus. 
By his long and intimate association with Moses, by his faith- 
fulness and loyalty in times of stress and trial, by his courage 
in war and his wise counsel in peace, and by his implicit con- 
fidence in God and unfaltering obedience to His commands, 
Joshua was peculiarly fitted to take up the great work to which 
he was called. 

The name "Joshua' ' was originally "Hoshea," meaning 
" salvation ;' J or "Jehoshua," "God's salvation." 

Joshua was a type of Christ. i i Jesus of the Old Testament 
brought ancient Israel into the typical land of promise. Jesus 
of the New Testament is yet to bring His people into the real 
land of promise, the eternal rest in the kingdom of God." 

"God buries His workmen, but carries on His work." The 
period of mourning in the plains of Moab was more than a 
formal matter with Israel. "Never," says Dean Stanley, 
"could there have been such a blank in the history of the 
chosen people as when they became conscious that he who had 
been their leader, their lawgiver, their oracle, as far back as 
their memory could reach, was taken from them at the very 
moment when they seemed most to need him." 

Moses was dead; but the real Leader of Israel "ever 
liveth. ' ' It was His power, not the mantle of the human Moses, 
that came upon the quiet, loyal, brave-hearted Joshua, and en- 
abled him to lead Israel into Canaan, and leave that land in 
their possession when his work was ended. Joshua was always 
ready f 6r service ; and ' ' success is readiness for occasions. ' * 



42 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Of the character of Joshua, Mrs. E. G. White says: 
"Courageous, resolute, and persevering, prompt, incorrupt- 
ible, unmindful of selfish interests in his care for those com- 
mitted to his charge, and, above all, inspired by a living faith 
in God, — such was the character of the man- divinely chosen to 
conduct the armies of Israel in their entrance upon the prom- 
ised land. During the sojourn in the wilderness he had acted 
as prime minister to Moses, and by his quiet, unpretending 
fidelity, his steadfastness when others wavered, his firmness 
to maintain the truth in the midst of danger, he had given 
evidence of his fitness to succeed Moses, even before he was 
called to the position by the voice of God." 

Outline and Review 

The book of Joshua may be outlined under three heads: 

1. Conquest of Canaan. 

2. Partition of Lands. 

3. Joshua's Farewell. 

Spend a few minutes in meditating on the life of Joshua, 
and make a list of some of his qualities that impress you. 
"Throughout, he is the fearless soldier, the straightforward 
leader, the simple, unquestioning executor of the divine will. " 
He ' ' sets before us the energy of faith, which, grounding itself 
on the promise of God, and trusting Him, loyally addresses 
itself to the appointed task." 

Joshua was courageous, honest, faithful, enthusiastic. What 
else? 

The Book of Judges 

According to the usual classification of the books of the 
Old Testament, Judges, which takes its name from the men 
whose exploits it recounts, is the second of the historical series. 

Genesis is the Book of Beginnings. Exodus, Leviticus, 
Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story of the chosen people 
from Egypt to Canaan. During this period, and by the events 
herein recorded, the children of Israel became a nation. From 
this point, their history is recorded in the so-called historical 
books, though these earlier books also are historical. 

The story of thirteen of the fifteen judges of Israel is told 
in Judges; and though the chronology of this period is beset 
with difficulties, Bible scholars seem to agree that the time cov- 



THE BIBLE YEAR 43 

ered is from three hundred to four hundred fifty years. The 
authorship of the book is uncertain. i i Jewish tradition ascribes 
it to Samuel, although portions belong to earlier times, and a 
few references must have been incorporated later.* ' But who- 
ever the author, evidently he had a well-defined plan in mind. 
His object was to show that "the only way to happiness was 
to shun idolatry and obey the commandments of the Lord.'' 
The sins of the people are plainly set forth, and no attempt 
is made to excuse or hide them. 



44 TEE BIBLE YEAB 

Twelfth Week: March 19-25 

19. Judges 13-16: Samson. 

20. Judges 17-19: Micah. 

21. Judges 20, 21 : The desolation of Benjamin. 

22. Kuth. 

23. 1 Sam. 1-3: The child in the temple. 

24. 1 Sam. 4-6: The ark captured and returned. 

25. 1 Sam. 7-10: The first king of Israel. 

In the Days of the Judges 

The book of Judges gives a picture, or rather a series of 
pictures, of the history of Israel during the three hundred years 
that followed their settlement in Canaan. Their condition as 
a nation is described in the statement, several times repeated, 
' i In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did 
that which was right in his own eyes. M The results of such a 
course were inevitable; the ground gained was lost, and again 
and again the enemies of Israel oppressed them. To meet par- 
ticular emergencies, the judges were raised up. "Some were 
followed by successors, but not all. The occasion of their com- 
ing was the need of deliverance from foreign invaders sent 
upon them as a chastisement for apostasy. After the deliver- 
ances, there were periods of 'rest,' i n which the people pros- 
pered, but without any central government. M The story of 
thirteen of these deliverers is given in this book; that of Samuel 
and Eli, whose names belong with the judges, is given elsewhere. 

The following outline shows the different periods of Israel's 
bondage, as recorded in Judges, and the men raised up to de- 
liver them: 

First servitude (to Mesopotamia) — Othniel. 

Second servitude (to Moab) — Ehud, Shamgar. 

Third servitude (to Jabin and Sisera) — Deborah and Barak. 

Fourth servitude (to Midian) — Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair. 

Fifth servitude (to Ammon) — Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon. 

Sixth servitude (to the Philistines) — Samson. 

Practical Lessons 

The great lesson of the book of Judges — "keep yourselves 
from idols' ' — is especially applicable to God's chosen people 
at the present hour. The world lays its net to entrap the un- 
wary. Pleasure, amusement, love, happiness, success in the 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 45 

modern meaning of the term, — all beckon alluringly to-day, 
just as they beckoned the young men and women of Israel in 
the time of the judges. In the record of that period, we see 
the results of mingling with the world, marrying unbelievers, 
and setting up " other gods" in the heart's shrine. The fair 
promises of the world proved a delusion; doing what was right 
in their own eyes, and justifying their evil course, brought 
only weakness and sorrow to Israel. The spoilers spoiled them; 
and in their affliction they turned again to the Lord. Chas- 
tisement was necessary, in order to save them. 

The experience of Gideon shows that the Lord can work 
with the weakest of human instruments, if they are wholly 
consecrated to Him. 

Samson's life illustrates the failure that follows self- 
confidence, the waste of wonderful opportunities. He "wist 
not that the Lord was departed from him, ' ' though it was not 
long till he realized his human weakness when shorn of divine 
strength. Is the Lord with us? or are we trying to work for 
Him in our own strength? Only as He is with us can we 
succeed. 

The Book of Ruth 

"In the days when the judges judged," the incidents 
i recorded in this book took place. It is a dark background 
■ — apostasy and lawlessness and rebellion within, oppression 
and robbery and cruelty without — against which is painted 
this sweet and restful picture of Jewish family life. But it 
was not recorded simply because of its beauty; its lessons of 
love, trust, and fidelity are as helpful to-day as when they 
were first written. It shows how filial devotion and trust in 
God are rewarded; how all the trials and sorrows of life work 
together for good to those who love the Lord; and that God 
is no respecter of persons, but "in every nation," those who 
fear Him are accepted by Him. One great purpose of the 
book is to establish the lineage of David. 

Information concerning a number of curious Hebrew cus- 
toms is also given in this book; and of course, it has a special 
interest because of the picture it holds for us of the great- 
grandmother of David, who was to become, "far off down the 
centuries," the ancestress of Jesus. 

Euth is the third of the historical books. The narrative is 
really a continuation of Judges, and was added to that book 



46 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 



by the ancient Jews. Even until the middle of the fifth cen- 
tury A. d., it was classed with Judges. 

The time covered by the book is about ten years. Its author- 
ship is uncertain, but it is quite generally attributed to Samuel. 

Outline for Judges and Ruth 

The books of Judges and Euth fall naturally into three 
divisions : 

1. Preface Judges 1, 2, 3 : 1-6 

2. Deliverances by the Judges Judges 3 : 7 to 16 

3. Stories of Israelitish Life Judges 17-21; Euth 

Fill out this outline, giving titles and references to the 
various incidents which it covers. Make a list of the judges. 
Mark with a star the two chapters that contain (1) a song of 
triumph; (2) a beautiful parable. 



TEE BIBLE YEAE '47 

Thirteenth Week: March 26 to April 1 

26. 1 Sam. 11-13: "Thy kingdom shall not continue." 

27. 1 Sam. 14-16: "To obey is better than sacrifice." 

28. 1 Sam. 17-19: A royal friend. 

29. 1 Sam. 20-23 : David flees from the wrath of Saul. 

30. 1 Sam. 24-27 : Death of Samuel. 

31. 1 Sam. 28-31: Death of Saul and Jonathan. 

1. 2 Sam. 1-4: David 's lament; war with the house of Saul. 

First and Second Samuel 

Originally these two books were reckoned as one, and for 
the present purpose, will be so treated. They contain three 
"interlaced biographies," — those of Samuel, the last and 
greatest of the judges; Saul, the first king of Israel; and 
David, the most noble and beloved of her rulers. It is supposed 
that the books are called by the prophet's name because his 
history comes first in the record. 

The authorship of the books is a matter of dispute. One 
widely accepted theory is that the first twenty-four chapters 
were written by Samuel, and the remaining portions by Nathan 
and Gad, since these prophets are referred to in 1 Chron. 29 : 29 
as having a part in writing the life of King David. But though 
the human hand that traced these ancient pages is unknown, the 
authority of their divine Author is clearly seen. ' ' The book of 
Samuel is one of the best specimens of Hebrew prose in the 
golden age of Hebrew literature. In prose, it holds the same 
place which Joel and the undisputed prophecies of Isaiah hold 
in poetical or prophetical language." 

Ebenezer 

"When Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and Shen (see 
1 Sam. 7: 12), to commemorate Israel's victory over the Phi- 
listines, he was following an old, old custom among the people 
of the East. About two hundred years after this time, a king 
of Moab, Mesha by name, who was a contemporary of Omri 
and Ahab, set up a pillar to commemorate his deliverance from 
the yoke of Israel. This pillar (known to us as the Moabite 
Stone) was set up at Dibon, in the hills of Moab, a day's jour- 
ney eastward from the Eed Sea. In 1868, this pillar was still 
standing, and was in a good state of preservation. It is now 
in the Louvre, in Paris. 



48 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Samuel 

The influence of this prophet-judge was not confined to a 
small area in Israel. "He traveled through the whole land, 
appointed public meetings, and announced to the multitudes the 
lessons revealed to him by the Spirit of God. Year after year 
he called together the elders of the people. At Kamah, his resi- 
dence, frequent meetings of the tribes took place. ' ' One of the 
greatest works of Samuel was the founding of the schools of 
the prophets, where young men of studious mind might receive 
an education that would fit them to be leaders and teachers 
in Israel. 

Saul 

The life of the first king of Israel may be divided into three 
parts: (1) promise time; (2) testing and failure; (3) diso- 
bedience and doom. He entered upon his career with the fairest 
possible prospects ; before him were spread out ' l wonderful and 
beautiful possibilities. The morning of his kingdom rose almost 
cloudless. " That his life should have gone out in such dark- 
ness and disgrace was due, not to a lack of opportunity for the 
development of moral fiber, but to his neglect to restrain and 
subdue the natural impulses of the human heart. Self-will, 
jealousy, and greed were allowed to rule his course; and grad- 
ually "he lost his kingly nature and power. His faults de- 
veloped — treachery, vanity, selfishness, iniquity, blasphemy. 
He became almost insane." 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 49 

Fourteenth Week: April 2-8 

2. 2 Sam. 5-7: David's kingdom established. 

3. 2 Sam. 8-10: David shows kindness to Saul's house. 

4. 2 Sam. 11, 12 : David 's sin and punishment. 

5. 2 Sam. 13, 14 : Banishment and return of Absalom. 

6. 2 Sam. 15-17: Conspiracy of Absalom. 

7. 2 Sam. 18-20: Defeat and death of Absalom. 

8. 2 Sam. 21-24: The last words of David. 

David 

David was a many-sided man. He possessed to an unusual 
degree the gift of versatility — he could do a great many things 
and do them well. As we reread the life of King David, we are 
impressed with the degree to which he possessed this wonder- 
ful gift. 

' ' His is the widest character on record, ' ' says Charles 
Eeade. "In Holy Writ, Moses, Elijah, and Paul; in profane 
history, Solon, Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, Napoleon, and 
others, excelled David in one quality or another. But David 
presents a greater number of distinct and striking features than 
any one of those great men; and that is why I style him the 
widest character on record, — a shepherd, a soldier, a courtier, 
a famous friend, a fugitive, an actor, a marauder, a general, 
a king, a statesman, an exile, a priest, a prophet, a saint, a 
criminal, a penitent, — and nothing by halves. ' ' 

"The qualities of his character were all of the strongest, 
whether for good or for evil," says Salmond. "In many re- 
spects he was the child of his age; and the age was rough, 
ruthless, and changeful. But in him the finer qualities overbore 
all. On many occasions we see memorable illustrations of the 
tenderness of his affections, the purity of his aims, his filial 
dutifulness, his sense of justice, his respect for public right, his 
wisdom, his chivalry, his patriotism, his consideration for others, 
his magnanimity to enemies, his fidelity to friends. Above all, 
the strength of his character was his piety. That piety was 
altogether practical and real. It was a joy in God in times of 
good; a quenchless thirst for God in times of declension, never 
failing to bring him back in contrition ; a chastened submissive- 
ness to God in times of trouble; and at all times a clear trust 
in God, which grew in power and beauty as years and experi- 
ence grew on him." 



50 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

The character of David, "the sweet psalmist of Israel/ ' 
has been called ' ' a harp of many strings. ' * Its foundation was 
laid in a "peculiarly firm and unshaken trust in Jehovah, and 
the brightest and most spiritual views of the creation and gov- 
ernment of the world, together with a constant, tender, and 
sensitive awe of the Holy One in Israel; a simple, pure striving 
never to be untrue to Him; and the strongest efforts to return 
to Him all the more loyally after errors and transgressions. ' ' 

Review and Outline for First and Second Samuel 

The history of the kingdom of Israel, from its founding to 
its close, is told in the three ' ' double books, ? ' — First and Sec- 
ond Samuel, First and Second Kings, and First and Second 
Chronicles. The narrative begins in First Samuel, and is car- 
ried forward from the birth of Samuel, recorded in the first 
book bearing his name, to the closing days of the reign of King 
David, in the second. It will be a good plan, on finishing the 
reading of Second Samuel, to review the two books briefly. 
They may be outlined under three general heads: (1) The Ad- 
ministration of Samuel; (2) The Administration of Saul; (3) 
The Administration of David. 

Fill in the leading events under each head, with references. 
Give titles and references to three songs found in these books, 
and make a list of Saul's seven principal campaigns, with 
references. 



■ 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 51 

Fifteenth Week: April 9-15 

9. 1 Kings 1, 2 : Solomon made king. 

10. 1 Kings 3, 4 : Wisdom and riches of Solomon. 

11. 1 Kings 5,6: Solomon builds the temple. 

12. 1 Kings 7,8: Solomon's house; the temple dedicated. 

13. 1 Kings 9, 10 : Visit of the queen of Sheba. 

14. 1 Kings 11,12: Death of Solomon; revolt of ten tribes. 

15. 1 Kings 13,14: The disobedient prophet. 

The Books of First and Second Kings 

These books, the sixth and seventh of the historical series, 
were originally one. They are a continuation of the books of 
Samuel, and record the history of Israel from the last days of 
David to the complete destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, 
and the carrying away into captivity of the children of Judah, 
under Nebuchadnezzar. 

According to Jewish tradition, the books of the Kings were 
written by Jeremiah, to whom the word of the Lord first came 
in the thirteenth year of King Josiah, or 629 B. c. Others at- 
tribute the work to Ezra. Whoever the author may have been, 
the books are regarded as a compilation, from a number of 
source books, some of which are named; as, "the book of the 
acts of Solomon" (1 Kings 11: 41) ; "the book of the chroni- 
cles of the kings of Judah" (14: 29); and "the book of the 
chronicles of the kings of Israel" (15: 31). In the various 
books of the Old Testament, twenty or more such ' ' source 
books" are mentioned by title. The exact date of the compo- 
sition is uncertain. Some scholars think the books of the Kings 
were written before the fall of Jerusalem, and revised during 
or shortly after the captivity; others that they were written 
during that period, and after the release and implied death of 
King Jehoiachin, with w T hich the record closes. 

The narrative of the two books covers a time period of about 
four hundred fifty years. 

The Hittites 

Abimelech, mentioned in 1 Sam. 26: 6, was a Hittite; so 
was Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. Eeference is often 
made in the Old Testament to this people, as in 1 Kings 10 : 29 ; 
yet only a few years ago, because the traces of their ancient 
cities were unrecognized and the territory they occupied was 



52 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

unknown, scoffers denied their existence. However, when the 
Kosetta Stone had unlocked the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, 
and those on the temple at Karnak were read, men who* had 
sneered at the Bible record were surprised to read of the wars 
of the Barneses with the Hittites. Still they were not alto- 
gether convinced; in spite of the evidence, they would not 
believe that the Hittites were a people of any strength or 
prominence. 

Then came the finding of the clay tablets of Assyria, with 
their cuneiform writing, whose secrets the Behistun rock in- 
scriptions had unlocked. When these old records were read, it 
was found that the Hittites were often mentioned. "Tiglath- 
pileser, of 1100 B.C., mentions them; Assur-nasir-apli, of 885 
b. c, says that he collected tribute from them ; and Sargon 
boasts that in the year 711 b. c. he captured the Hittite capital 
city of Karkemish, destroyed it, and brought the Hittite people 
to an end. 

"At length, with all these evidences, the scholars acknowl- 
edged that the Hittites did exist. Now we know that this 
mysterious people once had large, fortified, walled cities, . . . 
and that their power was scarcely inferior to that of Assyria 
or of Egypt. . . . Thus a nation which played a prominent 
part in the history of the early world, but to which the scholar 
of a few years ago denied an existence, is now resuming a place 
in history. Another voice from beneath the soil of Asia is now 
calling out its long-silenced testimony. " 

The Stones of the Temple 

"Great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones' ' were 
brought at Solomon's command to lay the foundation of the 
house of the Lord. These stones were "of a lime formation, 
so white that when polished it resembles marble. ' ' Though the 
mountain on which Jerusalem is built is of this same rock, it 
was once supposed that the stones for the temple were brought, 
like the cedar beams from Lebanon, from a distance. It now 
appears that these "great stones" were hewed out of the rock 
and chiseled into shape by Solomon's masons, aided by the 
skilled workmen furnished by King Hiram, in a great quarry 
that extended beneath the city of Jerusalem itself. This cavern 
was unknown to Europeans until 1852. "Its entrance seems to 
have been a natural cave; but farther on, its broken walls, its 



THE BIBLE YEAE 53 

tunnel-like recesses, and the rock-hewn pillars supporting the 
roof, mark it as the work of man. . . . Scattered here and 
there upon the floor are hewn blocks, just as they were left by 
the quarrymen; upon them the marks of the chisel still seem 
fresh. > ' 

From the nature and extent of this cavern, it is supposed 
that from the time when Jerusalem was first founded, the stone 
for its walls, temples, and other buildings was obtained here. 



54 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Sixteenth Week: April 16-22 

16. 1 Kings 15, 16 : Kings of Judah and Israel. 

17. 1 Kings 17-19: Elijah; call of Elisha. 

18. 1 Kings 20,21: Benhadad's invasion; Naboth/s vine- 

yard. 

19. 1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 1: Death of Ahab; succeeding 

kings. 

20. 2 Kings 2, 3 : The chariot of fire. 

21. 2 Kings 4, 5 : Miracles of Elisha. 

22. 2 Kings 6-8: Famine; plenty. 

The Prophets 

All through the history of Israel and Judah, the Lord sent 
warnings and reproofs to the people by the mouth of His 
prophets; and in order to gain a clear understanding of the 
history of those days, it is necessary to read the writings of 
these faithful men. "The Lord testified ... by the hand of 
every prophet, and of every seer," — warning, reproving, en- 
treating His erring people. But largely in vain. "We have 
the written records of four prophets who tried to save Israel 
from Assyria, and failed, ' ' — Jonah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. 
Joel, Isaiah, and Nahum succeeded in rescuing Judah from the 
power of Assyria; but Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah 
failed in their effort to save Judah from captivity by Babylon. 
In general, the result of their work is well expressed by the 
sorrowful question of Isaiah, "Who hath believed our report V 

Ancient Historical Records 

A Pavement Slab. — Early in the reign of Omri, king of 
Israel, the power of Assyria began to increase. The first great 
king of this period was Assur-nasir-apli ; and his son, Shal- 
maneser II, came to the throne in the closing days of the reign 
of Jehu. Hazael of Damascus, who obtained the throne of 
Syria by treachery and murder (2 Kings 8), is frequently men- 
tioned in the records left by Shalmaneser. On an old pavement 
slab is preserved the record of an expedition against this Hazael 
by the Assyrian monarch. According to this account, Shal- 
maneser defeated Hazael in battle, killed his soldiers, captured 
his chariots and horses, destroyed his plantations and towns, 
and shut the fleeing monarch up in the city of Damascus. The 
inscription ends with the statement: 



THE BIBLE YEAR 55 

"At that time I received the tribute of the Tyrians and 
Sidonians, and of Jehu the son [successor] of Omri. ' ' 

The Black Obelisk. — Another interesting relic of that cam- 
paign is preserved in a small black stone obelisk, discovered by 
Layard in the great mound of Nimrud. The four sides of this 
obelisk are covered with pictures engraved in the stone, and 
above them are cuneiform inscriptions explaining their mean- 
ing. One of these pictures represents "a figure with marked 
Jewish features" kneeling before Shalmaneser; behind him are 
slaves bearing gifts. Over the group is this inscription: 

"The tribute of Jehu the son of Omri, silver, gold, basins 
of gold, bowls of gold, cups of gold, buckets of gold, lead, a 
royal scepter, staves, I received. " 

No mention is made, in the Bible, of Jehu's defeat before 
Shalmaneser. It may be, as one writer suggests, that in this 
inscription, we have "a bit of long-forgotten Hebrew history. " 
A motive for Jehu's submission is suggested by Mr. Price, who 
says, "The dangerous approach of Shalmaneser, and the in- 
vincible character of his army, forewarned Jehu that his surest 
method of deliverance would be to dispatch his envoys, even if 
he did not go himself, and pay the price of submission. ' ' 

The Moabite Stone. — About 850 b. c, King Mesha, men- 
tioned in 2 Kings 3: 4, set up in a field near the ancient town 
of Dibon, in Moab, a monument of black basalt, commemorat- 
ing certain victories over Israel. During all the centuries from 
that far-off day till 1868, the stone stood in that spot, bearing 
unharmed its wonderful inscription, which so clearly supple- 
ments the Scripture record. 

August 19, 1868, this monument was discovered by a Ger- 
man missionary, who at once recognized its value. Through an 
agent of the French consulate at Jerusalem, a large sum of 
money was offered to the Arabs for it, but the Turkish officials 
interfered. In 1869, the Arabs lighted a fire under the stone, 
and when it was heated, poured cold water over it, breaking it 
into pieces, which they carried away as charms. A large pro- 
portion of these fragments were recovered ; and with these and 
the aid of impressions taken before the stone was broken, the 
monument was restored, and its ancient inscription read. Here 
are a few sentences from it: 

1. I (am) Mesha, son of Chemoshmelek, king of Moab, the Dibonite. 

2. My father ruled over Moab thirty years, and I ruled after my 
father. 



56 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

3. And I prepared this monument for Chemosh at Korkhah. 

4. A monument [to celebrate] deliverance, because he saved me from 
all invaders, and because he let me see (my desire) upon all mine 
enemies. 

5. Omri (was) king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab many days; 
for Chemosh was angry with his land. 

6. His son succeeded him, and he also said, "I will oppress Moab." 

10. The king of Israel had built for himself Ataroth ; 

11. But I warred against the city and took it. 

12. And I slew all [the inhabitants of] the city, a spectacle for 
Chemosh and for Moab. 

15. And Chemosh said to me, Go take Nebo against Israel. 

16. And I went by night, and fought against it from early dawn un- 
til high noon. 

17. And I took it, and slew all of it, seven thousand men and women. 






TEE BIBLE YEAR 57 

Seventeenth Week: April 23-29 

23. 2 Kings 9-11 : Judgments on the house of Ahab. 

24. 2 Kings 12-14: Death of Elisha. 

25. 2 Kings 15-17: Captivity of the ten tribes. 

26. 2 Kings 18,19: Hezekiah's good reign. 

27. 2 Kings 20,21: Hezekiah's sickness and recovery. 

28. 2 Kings 22, 23 : The good reign of Josiah. 

29. 2 Kings 24,25: Chaldean invasion; captivity. 

Tiglath-Pileser 

In 2 Kings 15: 19, mention is made of "Pul the king of 
Assyria. ' ' Who was this king ? No such name has been found 
in the ancient inscriptions of that land, though there is a record 
that Tiglath-pileser III led an invasion against Palestine, and 
received tribute from "Kezin of Damascus, Menahem of Sa- 
maria, and Hiram of Tyre. " From this, it is inferred that 
' ' Pul ' ' was another name for that monarch. This idea is borne 
out by a tradition that Tiglath-pileser III was not of the royal 
line, but a gardener named Pul, who became a soldier, and at 
last gained sufficient power to seize the throne. Naturally he 
would change his name, and he chose that of Tiglath-pileser, ' i a 
name borne by the most illustrious of the Assyrians." 

In verse 29 of the same chapter, his royal name, Tiglath- 
pileser, is used. He came against Palestine, and took "Gilead, 
and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive 
to Assyria. " 

" Among the inscriptions found by Layard in the palace of 
Tiglath-pileser is one containing the record of the invasion of 
Palestine. It is somewhat mutilated, yet the lines which are 
preserved say that the Assyrian king captured Gilead, made it 
Assyrian territory, and placed it in charge of his officers; that 
Hanno, king of Gaza, tied to Egypt; that Samaria was cap- 
tured; and then, to use Tiglath-pileser 's own words: 'I de- 
ported to Assyria all of the inhabitants, together with their 
property.' . . . Thus do the royal records of Assyria supple- 
ment and confirm the historical portions of the Old Testament. ' ' 

Captivity of the Ten Tribes 

Tiglath-pileser III was succeeded by Shalmaneser IV, men- 
tioned in 2 Kings 17: 3. "Of a few records from his reign,' ' 
says Mr. Banks in "The Bible and the Spade," "one speaks 



58 THE BIBLE YEAR 

of a three years ' expedition to foreign lands : it probably refers 
to his siege of Samaria. Until recent years it has been supposed 
that he was the Assyrian king who captured Samaria; but from 
the records of Sargon, his successor, we learn that he only be- 
gan the siege; Sargon completed it. 

1 l Sargon, the Assyrian king from 722 to 705 B. C, was the 
founder of a new dynasty, and the builder of the city of Khorsa- 
bad, in which his immense palace was discovered by Botta. 
Numerous well-preserved inscriptions upon stone lined the palace 
walls; two of them tell of the siege of Samaria and of the de- 
portation of the Israelites. In one the king says : 

" 'I besieged and captured the city of Samaria, and I 
carried away 27,280 of its inhabitants as captives. I took 
fifty of their chariots. I restored the city, and causing the in- 
habitants to become more in number than before, I stationed 
my Heutenants over them. I made the people of the lands 
which I had conquered, to dwell there, and I collected from 
them the same amount of tribute as from the Assyrians. ' ' ' 

Review and Outline of First and Second Kings 

The history given in these books falls naturally under three 
heads: 

1. Solomon 's Eeign 1 Kings 1-11 

2. The Divided Kingdom 1 Kings 12 to 2 Kings 17 

3. The Kingdom of Judah 2 Kings 18-25 

Amplify this outline, and give references. The Northern 
Kingdom, Israel, had nineteen kings and nine dynasties. It is 
a noteworthy fact that not one of the kings of Israel was called 
good, while eight of the kings of Judah were so called. The 
kingdom lasted two hundred and fifty years, at the end of 
which time the people were carried into captivity by the great 
king Sargon of Assyria, and the kingdom came to an end. 

Judah, the Southern Kingdom, had twenty rulers. As a 
kingdom, Judah lasted about four hundred years, but continued 
as a subject power until after Christ. The many classes of Jews 
in all parts of the world to-day are recognized as descendants 
of the kingdom of Judah. ' l The great fact which accounts for 
the preservation of Judah is that from that tribe and from the 
kingly line of David, Christ was to come. And so He did. His 
genealogy is that of the Davidic kings.' ' 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 59 

Eighteenth Week: April 30 to May 6 

30. 1 Chron. 1-3: Genealogy. 

1. 1 Chron. 4-6: Genealogy. 

2. 1 Chron. 7-9: Genealogy. 

3. 1 Chron. 10-12: Death of Saul; legions of David. 

4. 1 Chron. 13-16: The ark brought to Jerusalem. 

5. 1 Chron. 17-20: David desires to build God's house. 

6. 1 Chron. 21-24: Gathering material for the temple. 

The Books of the Chronicles 

The title given to these books comes from the word Chroni- 
con, given to them by Jerome, who called them "a chronicle 
of the whole of sacred history. " The Hebrew name of the 
book is i t Acts of the Days ; ' ' and in the Septuagint they were 
called by a title meaning "Of Things That Have Been Left 
Untold. " It is customary to say of these books that they tell 
the i l things omitted ' ? from the records of First and Second 
Samuel and First and Second Kings; but really they do much 
more. There is a close connection between all these records, 
but closer still is the connection between the story of Chronicles 
and that of the two books which immediately follow — Ezra and 
Nehemiah. Second Chronicles ends with the proclamation of 
Cyrus, king of Persia, which made possible the restoration of 
the temple of God at Jerusalem; and Ezra takes up the story 
at that point, and carries it forward. 

For this reason, the authorship of the Chronicles is at- 
tributed by many commentators to Ezra. Others hold that 
the work was done by the priests; still others, that Ezra began 
the work, and Nehemiah completed it. 

"Whoever the chronicler, he introduced a new plan in his 
story. Up to this time, the history of the world, as recorded in 
the Bible books, is a continuous narrative; but the writer of 
Chronicles went back to the very beginning, and started with 
Adam. 

The genealogical tables which form the first part of First 
Chronicles enabled the remnant Jews, now returning to Pales- 
tine, to trace their ancestry, and establish their title to the lands 
of their fathers. Above all, these genealogies were important in 
appointing the priests to their hereditary work, and maintain- 
ing the temple service. * { They record the unhroken line of the 
chosen people for about 3,500 years.' ; 



60 THE BIBLE YEAE 

Like the books of the Kings, First and Second Chronicles 
are largely a compilation from other works, no fewer than 
twelve other histories being named as the author's sources of 
information. ' ' Everywhere a knowledge of the preceding books 
of the Bible is taken for granted, and many new and important 
facts are given. Jy 

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the books of the Chronicles are 
placed at the close, thus showing that by the men making this 
arrangement, they were regarded as the latest of the Sacred 
Writings. The date usually attributed to them is about 400 B. c. 

Read Them Together 

In addition to reading the daily assignments in the books 
of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, it will be profitable to spend 
as much time as possible rereading, comparing, and reading 
again. Note "especially the points of agreement and the sup- 
plemental information by which the individual records are per- 
fected and completed. All these books treat mainly of the 
same historical period and events, yet each book has its own 
specialty, and the whole contains but one history. Samuel is 
more biographical than historical, and narrates the formation 
of the kingdom, together with the life and times of Saul and 
David. The books of Kings contain the history of the the- 
ocracy, with brief descriptions of the character and conduct 
of the various monarchs and of the people. The books of 
Chronicles are more ecclesiastical in structure, and give full 
details of the order of public worship, the genealogies, and 
other matters of great importance to the Jewish people on their 
return from the Babylonian captivity. ' ' 



THE BIBLE YEAE 61 

Nineteenth Week: May 7-13 

7. 1 Chron. 25-27: Various matters of order. 

8. 1 Chron, 28,29: David 's charge to Solomon. 

9. 2 Chron. 1-4: Preparation and building. 

10. 2 Chron. 5-7: Dedication and acceptance. 

11. 2 Chron. 8,9: Splendor of Solomon's reign. 

12. 2 Chron. 10-13: Eeigns of Eehoboam and Abijah. 

13. 2 Chron. 14-16 : Beign of Asa. 

Points to Remember 

The contemporary history of the times of the kings of Israel 
and Judah, and the records preserved from still earlier times 
that have a bearing on the destiny of the chosen people, are 
of absorbing interest. Their value to us lies in the fact that 
they widen our horizon, and present a setting for the events 
recorded in the Bible. It is important, however, while giving 
due attention to such historical helps as we may have access to, 
to be careful not to miss the precious spiritual lessons to be 
gleaned from the daily reading. 

The history of the men whose deeds are recorded in the Old 
Testament was not written, like the boasting proclamations of 
the heathen kings, to exalt man, or even that succeeding gen- 
erations might know of the successes and failures of men in 
those days. The books of the Bible, and the events around 
which those books are written, are directly "connected with 
God 's historical revelation, which culminated in Christ. ' ' Take 
Christ out of the Bible, and its meaning, its message, is gone. 
"It is from Christ, the central light, that illuminating rays are 
shed through the whole of Scripture; He is the central sun, 
who holds together all its various parts. ' ' 

The books of the Chronicles are illuminated by striking 
figures of speech, enlivened with brief sketches of uplifting ex- 
perience, and enriched by the most gracious assurances and 
promises. Note the vividness with which God's knowledge of 
the hearts of men is pictured in 2 Chron. 16:9; the figurative 
answer sent by Joash to Amaziah (2 Chron. 25:18, 19); 
David 's refusal to present to the Lord an offering that had cost 
him nothing (1 Chron. 21: 18-25) ; the reasons for Hezekiah's 
success (2 Chron. 31: 21); an assurance that prayer is heard 
in heaven (2 Chron. 30: 27) ; and many others. 



62 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 
Shishak of Egypt 



The invasion of Shishak, king of Egypt, mentioned in 2 
Chron. 12: 2, was also spoken of in the record in Kings. (See 
1 Kings 14: 25, 26.) He came against Jerusalem, raided the 
temple and the king's palace, and carried away much treasure. 
Shishak himself had a record made of that expedition, of which 
the" attack on Jerusalem was a part. On one of the walls of the 
great temple at Karnak, he "inscribed a sculpture represent- 
ing this campaign. He enumerates 156 places, towns, and 
fortresses that he captured. ... In this sculpture the giant 
figure of Shishak is represented as holding in his left hand 
the ends of ropes, which bind long rows of captives neck to 
neck. Their hands are tied behind them, and the victor's right 
hand holds over others a rod with which he threatens them. 
The names of the conquered cities are inscribed on ovals or 
shields that cover the lower part of the body of each prisoner. 
Some of the most familiar names in this list are: Gaza, Taan- 
ach, Abel, Adullam, Beth-anath, Beth-horon, Aijalon, Gibeon." 

These ancient inscriptions are another evidence of the his- 
torical accuracy of the Biblical record. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 63 

Twentieth Week: May 14-20 

14. 2 Chron. 17-20 : Keign of Jehoshaphat. 

15. 2 Chron. 21-23: Jehoram; Ahaziah; Athaliah. 

16. 2 Chron. 24,25: Joash; the temple repaired; Amaziah. 

17. 2 Chron. 26-28 : Eeigns of Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz. 

18. 2 Chron. 29-31 : . The temple services reestablished. 

19. 2 Chron. 32, 33 : Invasion of Sennacherib. 

20. 2 Chron. 34-36: Jerusalem destroyed; captivity. 

Sennacherib of Assyria 

This boastful monarch was the son and successor of the 
great Sargon, who had despoiled Samaria, and scattered Israel 
in Assyria, filling their places with tribute-paying peoples from 
the East. No doubt Sennacherib intended to complete the work 
begun by Sargon, and bring the remaining territory of Judah 
into subjection to Assyria. 

_ His first activities, after coming to the throne, were exerted 
in establishing his authority in Lower Babylonia, where he 
pillaged seventy-five cities, a great number of small villages, 
and deported more than two hundred thousand captives. Hav- 
ing arranged things to his satisfaction in this territory, he 
turned his attention to the il West -land, ' ' as Palestine and the 
surrounding countries were called. According to his story, 
this, his third military expedition, was marked by one triumph 
after another. When he had subdued various nations, and de- 
ported large numbers of prisoners to Assyria, he led his legions 
against Jerusalem. Sennacherib 's own account of this cam- 
paign, preserved in inscriptions on clay in his palace at Nine- 
veh, is full of interest. He says: 

"I drew near to Ekron; the lords and the nobles who had 
committed sin I slew, and on stakes all around the city I im- 
paled their corpses. The people of the city who had done crime 
and wickedness I took captive. The rest of them who had not 
committed sin and wickedness, and who were not guilty, I set 
free. . . . But Hezekiah of Judah, who had not submitted to 
my yoke — forty-six of his fenced cities and fortresses, and 
small towns in their vicinity without number, by breaking them 
down with battering-rams, and the blows of . . . and the 
strokes of axes, and hammers, I besieged and took; 200,150 
persons, small and great, male and female, horses, mules, asses, 
camels, large cattle, small cattle, without number, I brought 



64 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

forth from the midst of them, and counted as spoil. As for 
Hezekiah himself, like a bird in a cage, in Jerusalem, his royal 
city, I shut him up. I threw up forts against him, and who- 
ever would come out of the gate of the city I turned back. 
... As for Hezekiah himself, the fear of the glory of my 
sovereignty overwhelmed him; and the Arabs and his other 
allies, whom he had brought to strengthen Jerusalem, the city 
of his royal residence, deserted him. Thirty talents of gold 
and eight hundred talents of silver, . . . great stores of lapis 
lazuli, couches of ivory, armchairs of ivory, with elephant's 
hide, ivory tusks, ussu wood, urlcarinu wood, and the like, an 
immense treasure; and his daughters, his palace women, men 
singers, women singers, to Nineveh, my royal city, I made him 
bring; and for the delivery of the tribute, and rendering hom- 
age, he sent his ambassador. ' ' 

The account of this invasion given in 2 Kings shows that 
Hezekiah did pay tribute to Sennacherib. This he did hoping 
to buy peace; but the treasure so easily secured only awakened 
the cupidity of the invader, and he decided to take the city 
that yielded such riches, and sent an army against Jerusalem. 
The Bible records tell the fate of the Assyrian hosts; but, like 
the war news sent out from the capitals of modern warring 
nations, Sennacherib's story is strangely silent concerning the 
disaster that caused him to return "with shame of face to his 
own land. ' ' 

Outline and Review 

Anciently the two books of Chronicles, like the double books 
of Samuel and the Kings, were regarded as one, and they may 
be so treated in reviewing them. Four distinct divisions may 
be made in outlining these books: 

1. Introduction 1 Chron. 1-9 

2. The Reign of David 1 Chron. 10-29 

3. The Reign of Solomon 2 Chron. 1-9 

4. The Kingdom of Judah 2 Chron. 10-36 

If you have time, fill in the subordinate headings, with 
references. 

Do not skip the genealogies. ' ' The events incidentally men- 
tioned in connection with them are more numerous and of more 
importance than the casual reader would imagine. " 



21. 


Ezra 1-3: 


22. 


Ezra 4r-6: 


23. 


Ezra 7-10 


24. 


Neh. 1-4: 


25. 


Neh. 5-8: 


26. 


Neh. 9-11 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 65 

Twenty-First Week: May 21-27 

Foundations of second temple laid. 

The work of rebuilding hindered. 
: Gracious decree of Artaxerxes. 

Eebuilding — praying, working, watching. 

The work finished. 
: A solemn fast. 
27. Neh. 12,13: Abuses rectified; the Sabbath honored. 

The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther 

These three books belong together; for they all have to do 
with the same period of Jewish history, beginning with the 
decree of Cyrus to restore and build the temple in Jerusalem 
(b. c. 536), and closing with the thirty-second year of Ar- 
taxerxes, 432 b. c. 

The ten tribes of Israel, known as the Northern Kingdom, 
were carried into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 b. c, and 
were lost to history. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came 
against Israel in three invasions, the first in 606 B. c, the 
second in 599 B. c, and the third in 586 B. c. At this latter 
date the temple was razed, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, 
and those who escaped death were carried captive to Babylon. 
By the proclamation of Cyrus in 536, all the Jews who wished 
to do so were permitted to return to their own land, to rebuild 
the temple. Their return, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, 
a prince of Judah, took place seventy years from the time of 
the first captivity. 

The book of Daniel gives the connecting narrative between 
the closing verses of the last chapter of Second Chronicles and 
the proclamation of Cyrus. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk 
prophesied during this time, and in their writings we have pre- 
served to us faithful pictures of the social, religious, and politi- 
cal condition of the Jews. 

The book of Ezra contains a record of events that occurred 
about the time of the close of the exile of the Jews in Babylon. 
"It comprises accounts of the favors bestowed upon the Jews 
by Persian kings; of the rebuilding of the temple; of the mis- 
sion of Ezra to Jerusalem, and his regulations and reforms.' ' 

The book of Ezra contains a verse that is of the highest 
importance to every one who wishes to understand the pro- 
phetic periods of Daniel 8 and 9, — the eighth verse of the 

3— Bible Year 



66 THE BIBLE YEAR 

seventh chapter. The year 457 B.C., given in the margin, "is 
the starting point from which the 2,300 days (years) are to be 
reckoned. The going forth of the decree to restore and build 
Jerusalem is of itself an event that marks an epoch in this 
world's history, and makes the book one of absorbing interest, 
worthy of deep study. M 

The book of Nehemiah "is the last fragment of inspired 
Hebrew history. M It gives the history of Nehemiah's great 
work of rebuilding the city wall, establishing the government, 
and carrying into effect the needed reforms, especially in re- 
gard to honoring the Sabbath. Incidentally, the book admits 
us to "a glance at the condition, moral and political, of the 
Jews; at the growing bitterness between them and the Samari- 
tans; and at some scenes in Assyrian life. The account of 
the walls and gates in chapter 3 is among the most valuable 
documents for the settlement of the topography of ancient 
Jerusalem. ' ' 

Of the authorship and history of the books of Ezra and Ne- 
hemiah, Amos E. Wells says: "From the fact that the first 
part of the book of Ezra is written in the first person, it is 
thought that Ezra himself wrote it. Others think that both 
this book and Nehemiah were written by others, but contain 
extracts from the first-hand accounts of the two leaders. In 
ancient times the two books were united, and in the Vulgate 
they are called First and Second Esdras. They are written in 
Hebrew, with the exception of certain letters and other quoted 
documents in Ezra, which are kept in the original Aramaic, or 
Chaldee. Ezra covers seventy-nine years; and Nehemiah, after 
an interval of about twelve years, continues the story. ' ? 

Ezra and Nehemiah— the Men 

The name "Ezra" means help. The famous scribe and 
priest bearing this name lived in Babylon in the time of Ar- 
taxerxes Longimanus, and by this monarch was commissioned 
to lead a large company of captive Jews to Jerusalem. Not 
only was a liberal provision of silver and gold and other offer- 
ings given him for the house of the Lord, but a royal decree 
commanded that he should receive all needed assistance from 
the keepers of the king's treasures beyond the river. Ezra was 
a reformer. He desired not only to rebuild the temple and re- 
establish its services, but to see the laws and customs of the 
ancient faith observed in the daily life of the chosen people. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 67 

The genealogy of Nehemiah is unknown, save that he was 
the son of Hachaliah, and presumably of the tribe of Judah. 
While he occupied a high office in the court of Persia, his heart 
was stirred by reports that came to his ears of conditions at 
Jerusalem. Obtaining a commission from the king, and prom- 
ising to return to the court at a set time, he went to Jerusalem, 
and entered immediately upon his labors. Nehemiah was evi- 
dently a man of action. He could work as well as talk, execute 
as well as plan. "He was a man of profound piety, connect- 
ing everything, great or small, with the will of God. His pru- 
dence is equally marked; and there is no better example of con- 
stant dependence upon God, united with practical forethought. 
He was disinterested and unselfish; his wealth was used for 
public ends; and there is not the slightest reference to self 
apart from the common good. ? ' 



68 TEE BIBLE YEAB 

Twenty-Second Week: May 28 to June 3 

28. Esther 1-4: Conspiracy against the Jews. 

29. Esther 5-7: Esther's plea; downfall of Haman. 

30. Esther 8-10: Decree in favor of the Jews; victory. 

31. Job 1,2: Testing of Job. 

1. Job 3-5: Opening of discussion; first speech of Eliphaz. 

2. Job 6, 7 : Job 's answer to Eliphaz. 

3. Job 8-10: First speech of Bildad; answer of Job. 

The Book of Esther 

About sixty years intervene between the completion of the 
rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel and the return of 
Ezra and his company to Jerusalem ; during this time the events 
recorded in the book of Esther took place. Yv^e have no record 
of what occurred in Jerusalem during this period; but we know, 
from particulars given in the second part of Ezra, that the peo- 
ple had backslidden. However, the story of Esther has nothing 
to do with the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem, but with 
those who had chosen to remain in the land to which their 
fathers had been carried captive. The scene is laid in the Per- 
sian court, in the capital city of Susa, and involves the great 
king Ahasuerus, his minister of state, and other noble persons. 
This Ahasuerus is supposed to have been the king known in 
history as Xerxes, who reigned over Persia from 485 to 465 B. c. 
Early in his reign he made an attempt to conquer Greece, and 
was overwhelmingly defeated at Salamis in 480. He was ca- 
pricious and cruel, and was finally murdered by his minister of 
state. 

The authorship of the book of Esther is unknown. It was 
written in Hebrew, and by some has been attributed to Ezra. 
Others, taking into account the intimate knowledge of the 
personal affairs of Esther and Mordecai, believe it to have 
been written by Mordecai himself. Whoever the writer, he was 
familiar with the arrangement of "Shushan the palace" — - 
that portion of the city of Shushan where the Persian kings 
made their summer home. Eecent French excavations, laying 
bare the remains of these ancient buildings, show that "every 
detail is exact, " and furnish a confirmation of the record, 
"the force of which it is hard to overestimate. It shows that 
the writer was well informed, and that his work is character- 
ized by minute exactitude. ' ' 



TEE BIBLE YEAB 69 

Esther is one of the two books of the Bible bearing a 
woman's name. While the name of God is nowhere mentioned, 
and no reference is made to the temple or the Jewish religion, 
the whole book is a record of God 's special providence exercised 
in behalf of His chosen people, and bears in itself the evidence 
of its divine origin. 

The ii golden text M of the book is found in the last clause 
of verse 14, chapter 4: "Who knoweth whether thou art come 
to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Accepting this ques- 
tion as personal when confronted with what seem insurmount- 
able difficulties, we may, like Esther, not only find deliverance, 
but also exalt the name of the Lord. 

Esther is the last of the twelve historical books, which have 
been summarized as follows : 

Joshua Conquest 

Judges Deliverance 

Euth Love 

1 and 2 Samuel Kingdom 

1 and 2 Kings Kings 

1 and 2 Chronicles Temple 

Ezra Eeturn 

Nehemiah ^Rebuilding 

Esther Providence 

The Book of Job 

"This, the first of the so-called poetical books of the Bible, 
has a special and peculiar interest for the student of Holy 
Writ. It seems to have been written in the patriarchal age, 
probably by Moses. That Job was a real person, and the his- 
tory we have concerning him is not, as some consider it to be, 
a fiction, but a truthful account, we have proof in both the 
Old and New Testaments. In Ezek. 14 : 14, 20, he is mentioned 
as being as veritably an actual person as were Noah and Daniel. 
'Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, 
they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, 
saith the Lord.' So, as surely as there was a Noah who built 
an ark, and a Daniel who was in the lions ' den, just so surely 
there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. The 
testimony of James is no less positive: 'Ye have heard of the 
patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the 



70 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. ' James 5: 11. We 
see by this that not only did such a man as Job live, but also 
that the history concerning him is correct. ' " — Starr. 

Review and Outline for Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther 

The book of Ezra has two divisions : 

1. Rebuilding the Temple Chapters 1-6 

2. Kef orms of Ezra Chapters 7-10 

The book of Nehemiah may be outlined as follows : 

1. The Walls Eebuilt Chapters 1-7 

2. Turning to God Chapters 8-10 

3. Important Lists Chapters 11, 12: 1-26 

4. Dedication of the Wall Chapter 12 : 27-47 

5. Eeturn and Reforms of Nehemiah Chapter 13 

The book of Esther presents a series of pictures. The 
reader will be interested to glance through the book, chapter 
by chapter, and write titles for the different scenes brought to 
mind. For the first chapter such titles as A Royal Feast, In 
the Court of the Palace, The Queen 's Refusal, What Shall 
We Do? The Counsel of Memucan, The Royal Post, etc., natu- 
rally suggest themselves. 

The story may be outlined under five heads: 

1. Esther Made Queen Chapters 1, 2 

2. The Plot of Haman Chapters 3, 4 

3. Esther's Courage and Hainan's Fall .Chapters 5-7 

4. Elevation of Mordecai and the 

Counter Decree Chapter 8 

5. The Jews Delivered Chapters 9, 10 



THE BIBLE YEAB 71 

Twenty-Third Week: June 4-10 

4. Job 11-14: First Speech of Zophar; answer of Job. 

5. Job 15-17: Second speech of Eliphaz; answer of Job. 

6. Job 18,19: Second speech of Bildad; answer of Job. 

7. Job 20,21: Second speech of Zophar; answer of Job. 

8. Job 22-24: Third speech of Eliphaz; answer of Job. 

9. Job 25-28: Third speech of Bildad; answer of Job. 
10. Job 29-31 : Conclusion of Job 's answer. 

The Book of Job 

The name i l Job ? ' signifies the persecuted, hated, or afflicted 
one. The patriarch bearing this name is generally thought to 
have lived before the days of Moses, and some believe he lived 
before the days of Abraham. 

The book of Job has been called "a dramatic poem, set in 
a frame of epic narrative." By some, it is supposed to have 
been written by the patriarch himself, with an introduction and 
an ending by Moses. " There is abundant internal evidence 
that the scenes and events recorded were real scenes and events 
to the writer. He gives the discussions either as he heard 
them, or as they had been repeated over and over in many an 
ancient consensus. The very modes of transmission show the 
deep impression it had made in all the East as a veritable as 
well as marvelous event. " 

Every book that endures must have a purpose; its foun- 
dations must be laid in some great truth that is vital to hu- 
manity. A study of the book of Job shows it to be a discus- 
sion of a great problem — "What is the intention of Divine 
Providence in allowing the good to suffer?" Its object is to 
show that, "although goodness has a natural tendency to se- 
cure a full measure of temporal happiness, yet in its essence 
it is independent of such a result. Selfishness in some form is 
declared to be the basis on which all apparent goodness rests. 
That question is tried in the case of Job." 

In the question asked by Satan, "Doth Job fear God for 
naught?" the great question to be considered is stated; namely, 
"Can goodness exist irrespective of reward?" Satan received 
permission to test Job on this point; and the patriarch, in his 
deep affliction, smitten with a grievous disease, and advised 
even by his wife to curse God and die, retained his allegiance 
to Jehovah. The great message of the book is that "no afflic- 



72 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

tion from without can destroy the excellence of the character 
that obeys the law of God. ' ' 

Of this book Amos E. Wells says: "The poem itself is a 
noble discussion of the reasons for suffering. In speeches 
regularly recurring, each answered in turn by Job, the three 
friends of the patriarch urge that the cause of all suffering is 
sin. Elihu argues that all suffering is certainly for the good of 
the sufferer, and at length God Himself speaks, and Job be- 
comes submissive and repentant. " 

And Carlyle pays to it this noble tribute: "I call the book 
of Job, apart from all theories about it, one of the grandest 
things ever written with pen. One feels indeed as if it were 
not Hebrew, such a noble universality, different from patriot- 
ism and sectarianism, reigns in it. A noble book; all men's 
book! It is our first, oldest statement of the never ending 
problem — man 's destiny and God 's way with him here in the 
earth. And all in such free flowing outlines, grand in its 
sincerity, in its simplicity, in its epic melody and repose of 
reconcilement. Such living likenesses were never since drawn. 
Sublime sorrow, sublime reconciliation, oldest choral melody as 
of the heart of mankind. There is nothing written, I think, 
in the Bible or out of it, of equal literary merit. " 

Job is the first of the five poetical books of the Old Testa- 
ment. Some writers make a further division of these books, 
and apply the title ' ' wisdom books ' ' to Job, Proverbs, and 
Ecclesiastes. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 73 

Twenty-Fourth Week: June 11-17 

11. Job 32-34: First part of Elihu's argument. 

12. Job 35-37: Conclusion of argument of Elihu. 

13. Job 38-42: Address of Jehovah; answers of Job; con- 

clusion. 

14. Psalms 1-7: Contrast of the godly and the wicked. 1 

15. Psalms 8-15: God's glory magnified by His works. 

16. Psalms 16-19: Prayer and praise. 

17. Psalms 20-22: Blessing and confidence. 

The Book of Psalms 

The present Hebrew title of this book is TeJiillim, which 
means ' i praises, ' ' or " songs of praise. ? ' The familiar English 
word means "songs set to music, " and the titles to many of 
the psalms contain references to musical terms and instru- 
ments. The book was really the hymn book of the Jews, ar- 
ranged for use in the temple service. 

The book contains one hundred and fifty psalms, whose 
composition extended over a thousand years, from Moses to the 
close of the captivity. "One psalm is attributed to Moses, 
seventy-three to David, two to Solomon, twelve to Asaph (one 
of David's musicians), eleven to the sons of Korah, and one 
each to Heman and Ethan. Thirteen titles tell on what occa- 
sion the psalm was written. A number of most precious psalms 
are prophetic of Christ. " 

In the Eevised Version, in harmony with Hebrew usage, the 
book of Psalms is divided into ^.ve parts, or books. Book 1 
includes the first forty-one psalms; book 2 includes psalms 
42-72; book 3 ends with psalm 89; book 4 ends with psalm 
106 ; and book 5 includes the remaining psalms. The collection 
is often called "The Psalms of David," because he was the 
greatest of the sweet singers of Israel, and also because the 
first division, or book, of the psalms was written by him. 

"There is no other book of praise," says one writer, "so 
pregnant with expression of the heart's emotion under all the 
vicissitudes of life, or so adapted to all climes and ages, as to 
"be the universal medium of praise for all nations of the world. ' ' 

1 Titles -will be given for only the first psalm in each day's reading. 
It will be a good plan, after reading each psalm, to write a title for it, 
and make brief notes of such points as you wish especially to remember. 






74 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

i ' The book begins with benediction, and ends with praise — 
first, blessings to man, and then glory to God. ' ' 

Outline of the Book of Job 

When you have finished the reading of this wonderful book, 
take a little time to summarize its contents. Make a list of 
the characters introduced, and mark what seems to you the 
most impressive statement of each one who speaks. 

The book is naturally divided into ^ve parts, thus: 

1. The Prologue ' . . .Chapters 1-3 

2. The Discussion Chapters 4-31 

3. The Speech of Elihu Chapters 32-37 

4. The Divine Intervention Chapters 38-41 

5. Job's Eestoration Chapter 42 

Study this arrangement, and fill in the subordinate topics 
and references. For example, under l i The Prologue, ' ' put 
(a) "Prosperity of Job;" (&) "Scene in Heaven; " (c) "Job 
Afflicted. " Follow each by references and brief explanatory 
sentences. 



THE BIBLE YEAB 75 

Twenty-Fifth Week: June 18-24 

18. Psalms 23-30: The shepherd psalm. 

19. Psalms 31-35 : Confidence in the Lord. 

20. Psalms 36-39: God's goodness and mercy. 

21. Psalms 40-45: The acceptable sacrifice. 

22. Psalms 46-50: God our refuge. 

23. Psalms 51-55: A prayer for cleansing. 

24. Psalms 56-61: Trusting in Jehovah. 

Comfort of the Psalms 

1 ' The psalms are precious because they are so personal. We 
can make them our own so easily. When Edward Irving lay 
dying, he repeated over and over again the twenty-third psalm. 
It was his own. Another dying saint said of this psalm, 
' Every word is personal to me, personal to my faith, to my 
soul/ So in sorrow we can come to the psalms for comfort. 
They feed all our moods.' ' — Amos E. Wells. 

The Poetry of the Psalms 

The book of Psalms is the second of the Hve poetical books 
of the Bible. ' ' Hebrew poetry is not constituted by rhyme, nor 
by appreciable rhythm; but it is for the most part elegant and 
elevated in style, often indeed sublime, the manner of expres- 
sion, the choice of words, and the structure of the sentences 
being peculiar and characteristic. . . . The poetry of the 
psalms is essentially lyrical in character, expressive of the 
purest and most profound thoughts and sentiments which 
could be evoked under the old covenant. These inspired com- 
positions may be characterized as the very heart of the Old 
Testament, an outpouring of lamentation, prayer, praise, and 
thanksgiving, often uttered in prophetic language. They are, 
in fact, a mirror of the faith, love, and hope of the true Israel- 
ite, an ' epitome of the Bible adapted to the purposes of devo- 
tion, wherein man may speak to God in the very words which 
God Himself has inspired.' n 

In the Eevised Version, the psalms are properly printed in 
poetic form. Though there is no verbal rhyme in the lines, 
there " is a rhyme of thought, and there was a song cadence and 
rhythm in the words." 

It will be noticed that many of the psalms have inscriptions 
of various kinds; as, "Set to the Gittith," "Set to Muth- 



76 THE BIBLE YEAR 

labben, ' ' etc. One Bible commentator explains these as follows : 
"Some are called Michtam, l golden poem;' or Maschil, i choice 
ode.' Psalms 6 and 12 are on ShemiMith, 'the octave or bass/ 
for male voices. The forty-sixth is on Alamoth, ' after the 
manner of maidens/ or a soprano song. The fourth is set to 
Neginoth, ' stringed instruments. ' Psalm 9 is set to the tune, 
' Death of a Son ; ' psalm 22 to the tune, ' Hind of the Morn- 
ing; ? psalm 45 to the tune, 'The Lilies; ' psalm 56 to the tune, 
< The Far-Off Dove in Silent Lands. ' ' ' 

The word "selah, M which occurs so many times in the 
psalms, is believed to relate in some way to the music to which 
the psalms were set, or to have been used as a direction for the 
singers to be silent or pause, while the musicians played an 
interlude. Others give the word the meaning of "amen." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 77 

Twenty-Sixth Week: June 25 to July 1 

25. Psalms 62-67: Confidence in God. 

26. Psalms 68-71 : Prayer on removing the ark. 

27. Psalms 72-77: Prayer of David for Solomon. 

28. Psalms 78-80: God's dealings with Israel. 

29. Psalms 81-85: An exhortation to praise. 

30. Psalms 86-89: A prayer of David. 

1. Psalms 90-99: Brevity of human life. 

How the Hebrew Psalter Grew 

"The Hebrew Psalter was formed by a gradual growth. It 
appears that even the individual psalms gradually grew from a 
few lines to the length of stately songs. There is plain evidence 
that there existed originally a number of smaller collections of 
psalms, and that these were brought together in the five books 
which make up the Psalter. It was probably a process like the 
accumulation of the individual songs into the different parts 
of the modern ' Gospel Hymns/ first number one, then number 
two, and so on to number -&ve, and then a combination of the 
five parts into one volume. The titles of the psalms indicate 
that those of them attributed to the same author were placed 
consecutively in the larger collections. For example, book three 
consists of two minor collections, one attributed to Asaph and 
the other to the sons of Koran; and book five consists of a 
group of pilgrim songs and a group of hallelujah songs, each 
apparently at one time a distinct songbook." — Armstrong. 

Influence of the Psalms 

"Between the first verse of Matthew's Gospel and the last 
verse of John's Revelation there are two hundred and eighty- 
three quotations from the Old Testament. One hundred and 
sixteen of them are from the Psalms. It was the first book 
which the early church put into the hands of her young converts, 
the primer of her religious teaching. . . . 

"With the music of psalms the shepherds and plowmen 
cheered their toil in ancient Palestine; and to the same music 
the Gallic boatmen kept time as they rowed their barges against 
the swift current of the Rhone. A psalm supplied the daily 
grace with which the early Christians blessed their food; and 
the same psalm was repeated by the communicants as they went 
to the Lord's table. Chrysostom fleeing into exile; Martin 



78 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Luther going to Worms; George Wishart facing the plague at 
Dundee; Wycliffe on his sick bed, surrounded by his enemies; 
John Bunyan in Bedford gaol; William Wilberforce in a crisis 
when all his most strenuous efforts seemed in vain, and his 
noble plans were threatened with ruin, — all stayed their hearts 
and renewed their courage with verses from the psalms. 

1 ' The Huguenots at Dieppe marched to victory chanting the 
sixty-eighth psalm; and the same stately war song sounded over 
the field of Dunbar. It was a psalm that Alice Benden sang in 
the darkness of her Canterbury dungeon; and the lips of the 
Eoman Paulla, faintly moving in death, breathed their last sigh 
in the words of a psalm. The motto of England's proudest 
university is a verse from the Psalms; and a sentence from 
the same book is written above the loneliest grave on earth, 
among the snows of the arctic circle. It was with the fifth 
verse of the thirty-first psalm that our Lord Jesus commended 
His soul into the hands of God; and with the same words 
Stephen, Huss, Columbus, Luther, and Melanchthon — yea, and 
many more saints of whom no man knoweth — have bid their 
farewell to earth.' ' — Henry Van Dyke. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 79 

Twenty-Seventh Week: July 2-8 

2. Psalms 100-105: Serve the Lord with gladness. 

3. Psalms 106-110: His mercy endureth forever. 

4. Psalms 111-118: God's glorious and gracious works. 

5. Psalm 119: Praise, love, power, and use of God's word. 

6. Psalms 120-134: Psalms of degrees. 

7. Psalms 135-140: Praise and thanksgiving. 

8. Psalms 141-150: Prayer for acceptance. 

The Praise of Prayer 

"The one hundred and seventh psalm was written, in all 
probability, just after the close of the captivity, when the 
Hebrews had come back to their dear country. And if we are 
seeking a theme for it, we can find none so appropriate as ' The 
Praise of Prayer.' For this is the theme with which it is con- 
cerned, and the spirit with which it is filled. One after another 
the beautiful pictures of praying men and their great deliver- 
ances rise in the psalmist's verse. We see the divine mercy 
flowing down to meet the human supplications; and the refrain 
which comes back again and again is this: 

' ' l Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, 
And He delivered them out of their distresses.' 

' ' The first three verses of the psalm refer especially to the 
restoration of the Jews from Babylon. If any one ought to 
have a deep and lively sense of the divine goodness, it was the 
people whom Jehovah had l redeemed from the hand of the ad- 
versary, and gathered from the lands' of their dispersion. 

"Then the psalm takes a wider sweep, and begins, in the 
fourth verse, to describe the power. of prayer in the most varied 
scenes of human life, and the readiness of God to deliver those 
who call upon Him from every form of trouble." — Henry 
Van Dyke. 

Psalm 119 

"In psalm 119 we find the peculiarity of alliteration, the 
chapter being divided into twenty-two sections of eight verses 
each, and each verse in each section in the original writing be- 
ginning with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet standing at 
the head of the section. The alliteration shows the psalm to be 
divided into verses. It is well known that the books of the 



80 TEE BIBLE YEAE 






Bible were not generally divided into either chapters or verses 
until long after they were written. But the fact that the book 
of Psalms was thus divided may doubtless have suggested the 
propriety of so dividing the other books of the Bible, and cer- 
tainly it is a very convenient and helpful arrangement. . . . 
The one hundred and nineteenth psalm is the most noted of all 
inspired productions that set forth the excellencies of the law 
of God. Every one of the one hundred and seventy-six verses 
seems in some way to speak of the commandments of Je- 
hovah. ' ' — Starr. 

The Songs of Degrees 

Fifteen psalms (120 to 134) are in the Authorized Version 
called Songs of Degrees, and in the Revised Version, Songs of 
Ascents. Many explanations of these terms have been made, 
two of which are here given. Dr. Henry Van Dyke says: 

"The interpretation which is followed by the best modern 
scholars refers the word ["degrees, ,J or "ascents"] to the 
successive stages of the pilgrimage which the Jews were accus- 
tomed to make, thrice every year, to the temple on Mount Zion. 
On such journeys it would be natural to beguile the tedium of 
the way, or to cheer the nightly encampment, by the singing of 
familiar ballads. The ' singableness ' of these fifteen psalms, 
'their freshness, their brilliant color, their allusions, their re- 
flection of the homely phrase and surrounding of the folk,' 
make them fit for such a purpose. And we may feel quite sure 
that we have here a brief collection of the popular songs which 
were used in this way, — 'Songs of the Up-Goings,' or, as they 
have been called by one of our best expositors, 'Pilgrim 
Psalms. ' " 

Others believe these psalms to have formed a collection used 
by the two hundred singers who accompanied the Jews return- 
ing from Babylon to Jerusalem. 

It is not unlikely that both these explanations are true. It 
is still the custom in the East for pilgrims and companies of 
natives, "traveling together through the open country and 
along mountain paths, especially during the night, to break out 
into singing some of their favorite songs. . . . Something like 
this may have often rendered vocal the dreary ascent to Jeru- 
salem. It is common in that country to travel in the night 
during the summer, and we know that the Hebrew pilgrims 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 81 

journeyed in large companies; and it would be strange indeed 
if sometimes they did not seek relief from the oppressive soli- 
tude by singing the beautiful songs of Zion." 

A spiritual application of these psalms has been made by 
one Bible student, who "defines the fifteen degrees of going 
up out of the valley of weeping to the presence of God to be, 
(1) affliction; (2) looking to God; (3) joy in communion; (4) 
invocation; (5) thanksgiving; (6) confidence; (7) patient wait- 
ing for deliverance; (8) God's grace and favor; (9) fear of 
the Lord; (10) martyrdom; (11) hatred of sins; (12) humility; 
(13) desire for the coming of Christ; (14) concord and charity; 
(15) constant blessing of God." 

Review of Psalms 

Take time to review the book of Psalms, marking the five 
divisions already mentioned, and noting the authorship of the 
psalms in each group. 






82 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Twenty-Eighth Week: July 9-15 

9. Prow 1-3 : The benefits of wisdom. 

10. Prov. 4-7: Instruction of a father; etc. 

11. Prov. 8-10: The call of wisdom. 

12. Prov. 11-13: A false balance; wise maxims. 

13. Prov. 14-16: Virtues and vices. 

14. Prov. 17-19: Wisdom and folly. 

15. Prov. 20-24: Temperance; a good name; etc. 

The Book of Proverbs 

This book takes its name, in Hebrew, from its first word, 
maslial, which originally meant "-a comparison. ' ' The same 
word is sometimes translated "parable/ ' and sometimes, as 
here, "proverb." 

In 1 Kings 4: 32 we are told that Solomon spoke three 
thousand proverbs. Less than one third of this number, how- 
ever, are preserved to us in this book; and part of these are 
credited to other authorship, as is seen in the headings of the 
last two chapters. 

As a whole, the book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings 
relating to the common experiences of everyday life. It deals 
with our duties to our families, our neighbors, our friends, and 
the faithful performance of our service to God, being, in fact, 
"a manual of practical rules of life, as the book of Psalms is 
a manual of daily devotion. " Modesty, chastity, temperance, 
forbearance, gentleness, industry, honesty, and other virtues are 
placed before us in vivid language. Praise and flattery are 
sweet to the human heart, but it is loath to accept reproof. 
The necessity of submission to correction is one of the most 
prominent lessons set forth in the Proverbs. The woes of in- 
temperance are clearly portrayed, and the warnings against this 
sin are appropriate to all time. 

The wisdom of Proverbs fits every phase of human experi- 
ence, but it is especially valuable to those starting out on the 
highway of life. Amos B. Wells says: "Young people should 
read the book of Proverbs at least once a month. A proverb is 
condensed wisdom, and this book is full of the richest moral 
wisdom of the ages. We may listen to what the race has learned 
by experience, and profit by it, or we may try sin and pleasure 
for ourselves, and suffer. Proverbs is for the wise person who 
knows enough to listen when experience speaks." 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 83 

Arrangement of Proverbs 

The book may be divided into three parts, with two appen- 
dices, thus: 

1. Chapters 1-9. These "form a connected didactic poem, 
in which wisdom # is praised, and the youth exhorted to devote 
himself to her." 

2. Chapters 10-24. This section is subdivided into three 
parts, thus: (a) chapters 10 to 22: 16, consisting of "a collec- 
tion of single proverbs and detached sentences;" (&) chapters 
22: 17 to 24: 22, (t a more connected didactic poem, with an 
introduction;" and (c) chapter 24: 23-34, introduced with the 
inscription, "These things also belong to the wise," a collec- 
tion of unrelated maxims forming an appendix to the preceding. 

3. Chapters 25-29. This is a collection of Solomon [s prov- 
erbs which the copyists of Hezekiah's court transcribed. Chap- 
ters 30, 31, are by some regarded as two appendices to the book. 
Chapter 30 is ascribed to "Agur the son of Jakeh," an un- 
known Hebrew sage; and the first nine verses of chapter 31 are 
called "The words of King Lemuel," likewise unknown. The 
last 22 verses of chapter 31 are an acrostic eulogy of a virtuous 
woman, each verse beginning, in the original, with one of the 
successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 



84 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

Twenty-Ninth Week: July 16-22 

16. Prov. 25-27: Humility and forgiveness. 

17. Prov. 28-31: Impiety and religious integrity. 

18. Eccl. 1-4: Vanity of human endeavor; etc. 

19. Eccl. 5-8: Vanity of riches; benefits of patience. 

20. Eccl. 9-12: Mysteries of providence ; *etc. 

21. Song of Solomon 1-4: Christ and His church. 

22. Song of Solomon 5-8: Christ and His church. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes 

This is the third of the so-called wisdom books of the Old 
Testament, and the fourth of the poetic group. Its Hebrew 
title is Koheleth, which is also applied by the writer of the 
book to himself. The usual definition is "the preacher/ ' or 
' ' a person who draws an audience that he may address. ' ; Our 
word " Ecclesiastes M comes from a Greek term meaning "as- 
sembly. ' ' 

Ecclesiastes sets forth the sad results of disobedience. In 
form, it is a discussion, or sermon, with a clearly stated subject, 
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion; but it is really more 
than a sermon. It is " the confession of a man of wide experi- 
ence looking back upon his past life and looking out upon the 
disorders and calamities which surround him. The writer is a 
man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness and sensuality, 
but who has through all this been under the discipline of a 
divine education, and has learned from it the lesson which God 
meant to teach him." 

Ecclesiastes is called "a book of experience. ' ' Mrs. E. G. 
White says: "By the spirit of inspiration, the king recorded 
for after generations the history of his wasted years, with their 
lessons of warning. And thus, although the seed of his sowing 
was reaped by his people in harvests of evil, his life work was 
not wholly lost. . . . Solomon's later writings reveal that as 
he realized more and still more the wickedness of his course, 
he gave special attention to warning the youth against falling 
into the errors that had led him to squander for naught 
Heaven's choicest gifts." 

The Song of Songs 

"This book, like the rest of Scripture, is to be read with 
seriousness. The holiest and most spiritually minded have 






TEE BIBLE YEAR 85 

naturally delighted most in this book, in which they find most 
of their Beloved and their Friend. " — Homiletic Commentary, 

' i The church has ever, in her days of earnestness and special 
devotion, used the Song of Solomon. It has been the ther- 
mometer of her condition; when and where her energy and love 
were strong, then and there the Song of Songs became her mode 
and form of expression. ' ; — E. Monroe. 

' l The Song of Solomon is an idyl, or rather a suite of seven 
idyls woven into a beautiful unity. . . . Its purpose is to re- 
veal the incomparable strength of a chaste and sincere affec- 
tion, which no splendor can dazzle and no flattery seduce; to 
reveal the purity, the sanctity, and the eternity of true love; 
and to set forth, under the figure of the bride and bridegroom 
in an earthly love story, the supreme loveliness of Christ — the 
object too large for the heart — and the inseparable attachment 
between Jehovah and Israel, Christ and the church, the soul and 
its Saviour/ ' — Martin Anstey, 

Review 

Keview the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of 
Solomon, marking the texts that have been of special help in 
your reading. 






86 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Thirtieth Week: July 23-29 

23. Isa. 1-4: The Jerusalem vision; impending calamities. 

24. Isa. 5-7: The parable of the vineyard. 

25. Isa. 8-10: Exhortations and warnings. 

26. Isa. 11-14: Birth and kingdom of Messiah. 

27. Isa. 15-19: Burden of Moab; Damascus; Egypt. 

28. Isa. 20-23: Doom of Babylon; Edom; Arabia; Tyre. 

29. Isa. 24-26: God's judgments; the earth restored. 

Isaiah — the Man 

Isaiah, "the prophet of the coal of fire," whose name in 
Hebrew means "Jehovah's salvation/' was one of the most 
distinguished of the Hebrew prophets. He prophesied during 
the reigns of four kings, beginning his work ' ' in the year that 
King Uzziah died," and continuing it during the reigns of 
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The time covered by his active 
work is variously estimated at from thirty-nine to fifty-five 
years. 

Very little is known of Isaiah 's personal history, but tradi- 
tion makes him a member of the royal household in the reign 
of King Manasseh. He was married, and had two sons. 

The prophet ' ' seems to have lived and prophesied wholly at 
Jerusalem, and disappears from history after the accounts con- 
tained in chapter 39. A tradition among the Talmudists and 
fathers relates that he was sawn asunder during the reign of 
Manasseh ; and this tradition is embodied in an apocryphal book 
called 'The Ascension of Isaiah.' " Speaking of the attempts 
of the wicked Manasseh to silence every protest against his evil 
course, Mrs. E. G. White says, "One of the first to fall was 
Isaiah, who for over half a century had stood before Judah as 
the appointed messenger of Jehovah." Eeference to the 
prophet's martyrdom is supposed to be made in Heb. 11: 37. 

"Isaiah is appropriately named 'the evangelical prophet,' 
and the fathers called his book 'The Gospel According to St. 
Isaiah.' In it the wonderful person of Immanuel, — 'God with 
us,' — His beneficent life, His atoning death, and His trium- 
phant and everlasting kingdom, are minutely foretold. The 
simplicity, purity, sweetness, and sublimity of Isaiah, and the 
fullness of his predictions respecting the Messiah, give him the 
preeminence among the Hebrew prophets and poets." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 87 

The vision of this prophet "is not restricted to his own 
nation and his own times, but he regards all nations and all 
times. i Nowhere can we find the promise of the Messiah more 
clearly announced; nowhere is the kindgom of the Messiah de- 
picted in colors more lifelike and abiding. His prophecies form, 
as it were, a bridge between the old covenant and the new.' " 

Isaiah — the Book 

Isaiah *s wonderful prophecy, the first of the major pro- 
phetical books, is regarded as "the masterpiece of Hebrew lit- 
erature, ' ' but its message is to mankind. The style of the book 
is exalted and majestic, and certain passages are noted for their 
dignity and beauty. The ode of triumph in chapter 14 (verses 
3-23) is said to be il one of the most poetical in all literature. ' * 

One commentator says: "For versatility of expression and 
brilliancy of imagery, Isaiah had no superior, not even a rival. 
His style marks the climax of Hebrew literary art. ^ Both his 
periods and his descriptions are most finished and* sublime. 
Beauty and strength are characteristic of his entire book." 

As you read this book, observe the promises that illumine 
its pages, — promises of the coming Messiah, personal promises 
of saving help and overcoming power, promises of the second 
advent and of the new heavens and the new earth, — and mark 
them for further study. 



88 TEE BIBLE YEAB 

Thirty-First Week: July 30 to August 5 

30. Isa. 27-29: Divine care; gospel blessings. 

31. Isa. 30-33: Eebellion and obedience contrasted. 

1. Isa. 34-37: Day of vengeance; Sennacherib's invasion. 

2. Isa. 38-40: Hezekiah 's respite; gospel blessings. 

3. Isa. 41-44: Messiah; comforting promises. 

4. Isa. 45-48: Cyrus; judgments on Babylon. 

5. Isa. 49-51: Deliverance. 

Isaiah — His Times and His Message 

Isaiah lived in a critical time in the history of the divided 
kingdoms of Israel and Judah. When he began his work, the 
Northern Kingdom l ' was outwardly rich and prosperous, but 
inwardly, socially, politically, and morally corrupt. " It soon 
went to pieces, with a crash. Shalmaneser IV, king of As- 
syria, began the siege against Samaria (2 Kings 18: 9); and 
three years later Sargon II, his successor, took the city, con- 
quered the land, and deported the people. 

As already noted, the work of this prophet extended through 
the reigns of four kings of Judah, — Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and 
Hezekiah. Of this period, H. T. Sell says: 

"The reigns of Uzziah and Jotham were like the reign of 
Jeroboam II of Israel. It was an age of Oriental magnificence, 
show, and luxury; the poor were oppressed by the rich; the 
simplicity of the old religion was gone; public morality was 
relaxed. The boundaries of the kingdom were extended; but 
the old distinctive worship, which had made Judah great, was 
disappearing. Ahaz, who followed Jotham, was superstitious 
and cowardly. Eeligion reached its lowest ebb. Isaiah lifted 
his voice in vain against these evils. When the Assyrians 
threatened the Northern Kingdom, and the Northern Kingdom 
threatened Ahaz, he refused the counsel of Isaiah to keep still 
and trust God, but sought an alliance with the Assyrians, which 
brought about the destruction of Israel, and made Judah a 
vassal of Assyria. Hezekiah, who succeeded Ahaz, introduced 
reforms, and listened to Isaiah when the Assyrians again in- 
vaded Palestine. Sennacherib's army was destroyed by God 
before it came to Jerusalem. Manasseh, succeeding Hezekiah, 
undid his good work, and permitted the old evils to return.' ' 

Concerning the message of Isaiah's prophecy, G. Campbell 
Morgan says: 



THE BIBLE YEAR 89 

"The living message of this book to our own age is that 
submission to the government of God is the one sufficient con- 
dition for the fulfillment of all human life, whether it be social, 
national, or racial. It declares, moreover, that the only hope 
of the restoration of man, bruised and broken by sin, is cen- 
tered in the grace of God. . . . 

" Having been brought by grace into right relationship to 
government, through submission to government in order to the 
reception of the gifts of grace, we live henceforth within that 
government in the power of that grace. We submit to His 
government and enter into His grace. We stand in His grace, 
in order to obey His government. 

' ' The revelation of this book is that of the throne of God. 
It matters not where we open it, whether we read the message 
of fiery denunciation, or the song of the coming deliverance; 
whether we hear the chariot wheels of swift and awful judgment, 
or listen to the song that heralds the dawning of the day of 
restoration; in every case, message or song comes from the 
throne. The Presence occupying the throne cannot be defined, 
but in the midst is a Lamb as it had been slain. 'He was 
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniq- 
uities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.' V 



90 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Thirty-Second Week: August 6-12 

6. Isa. 52-55: Sufferings of Christ; gospel invitation. 

7. Isa. 56-58 : Blessings of Sabbath keeping. 

8. Isa. 59-62: Keproofs; promises; blessings. 

9. Isa. 63-66: Gentiles called; new heavens and new earth. 

10. Jer. 1-3: The call of the prophet. 

11. Jer. 4-6: Exhortations; lamentations; judgments. 

12. Jer. 7-9: Call to repentance; sin and punishment. 

Isaiah — Review and Outline 

Because of its wealth of references to the coming Messiah, 
the book of Isaiah has been called i ' the fifth Gospel. ' ' Glance 
through its pages, chapter by chapter, and note these promises. 
The book is the longest in the Bible save one, the Psalms, 
having sixty-six chapters — one for each book of the Bible. In 
this connection, it is interesting to note that one of the most 
common methods of arranging the contents of Isaiah is to di- 
vide the book into two parts, with 39 chapters in the first part, 
and 27 in the second, thus: 

1. Prophecy and History Chapters 1-39 

2. * < The Book of Consolations" Chapters 40-66 

1 ' The first part is made up of those prophecies and historical 
accounts which Isaiah wrote during the period of his active 
exertions, when he mingled in the public concerns of the rulers 
and the people, and acted as the messenger of God to the na- 
tion." These single prophecies, given at different times, are 
here brought together into one collection. The second part deals 
with future events. "The subjects particularly foretold are: 
the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus, about two hundred years 
before his birth, and the overthrow of their oppressors; the re- 
turn to Judea, and the establishment of their ancient polity; 
the coming, character, appointment, sufferings, and glory of 
the Messiah ; the downfall of idolatry, and the call of the Gentile 
world; the wickedness of the Jews consummated in their rejec- 
tion of Messiah, and the consequent rejection of them by God; 
their future conversion and recovery, and the final triumphant 
perfection of the church." 






THE BIBLE YEAR 91 

The Prophet of Sorrows 

Jeremiah, called "the prophet of the bleeding heart and of 
the iron will," was very young when he received the call (627 
B. c.) that placed him among the prophets, to which position he 
had been consecrated by God Himself before his birth. "I can- 
not speak : for I am a child, ' ' said the youth ; but God did not 
excuse him because of his tender years. Wonderful indeed was 
the ordination of the young prophet, and the solemn charge 
laid upon him ; wonderful, also, the life of service that followed. 
He began to prophesy in the reign of the good king Josiah, con- 
tinuing his ministry through the reigns of Jehoiakim and Zede- 
kiah. Even after the captivity, his voice was raised in faithful 
warning and reproof. "Like a fenced wall," he performed the 
duty that was laid upon him, for forty-two years steadfastly 
giving the word of the Lord to kings, nobles, and people. 

Jeremiah came of the priestly line, and lived in the Levite 
village of Anathoth, midway between Michmash and Jerusalem. 
King Josiah, himself a young man, worked with Jeremiah for 
the abolishment of idol worship and the carrying out of other 
reforms; but after his death, the people reverted to their sinful 
practices, and the life of the prophet was filled with sorrow. 

The thorny path of the reformer was the same in Jeremiah 's 
day as it has ever been. Pashur, "chief governor of the house 
of the Lord," had him beaten and put in the stocks; priests 
and prophets alike declared, c l This man is worthy to die ; ' ' the 
Avritten roll, which he inscribed at the word of the Lord, was 
slashed with a penknife, and cast into the fire. l ' His office was 
like that of a minister obliged to accompany a criminal to the 
scaffold," intensified by the grief he would have felt had that 
criminal been his own father. "Never did a man who loved 
his country and his God have more indignities heaped upon him 
for trying to be faithful to both." 

The character of Jeremiah "is most interesting," says 
Canon Cook. "We find him sensitive to a painful degree, timid, 
shy, hopeless, desponding, but never flinching from duty. . . . 
Timid in resolve, he was unflinching in execution; as fearless 
when he had to face the whole world as he was dispirited and 
prone to murmuring when alone with God. Judged by his own 
estimate of himself, he was feeble, and his mission a failure; 
really, in the hour of action and when duty called him, he was 



92 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

in very truth, 'a defensed city, and an iron pillar, and brazen 
walls against the whole land.' He was a noble example of the 
triumph of the moral over the physical nature. " 

The Times of Jeremiah 

The times have always developed the man, and the times of 
Jeremiah were no exception. When the prophet was born, says 
H. T. Sell: " Assyria and Egypt were disputing the sovereignty 
of the world. Before Jerusalem was destroyed, Assyria's power 
had been shattered by Babylon. Egypt under Pharaoh Necho 
II, daring to dispute the might of this new world power, suf- 
fered a disastrous defeat at the battle of Carchemish in 605 B. c. 
Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar was now mistress of the 
world. Jeremiah, whose message was to the nations, foresaw 
these changes and looked even beyond them; he predicted that 
even great Babylon after seventy years should fall, and a new 
power take its place. . . . He looked beyond the present great 
nations; beyond the present Judah, disobedient and ungrateful, 
and saw the rise of a kingdom greater than all, under a King 
who should sit upon the throne of David, and execute judgment 
and justice." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 93 

Thirty-Third Week: August 13-19 

13. Jer. 10-13: Folly of idolatry; the linen girdle. 

14. Jer. 14-16: Pleadings; types of doom. 

15. Jer. 17-19: Types of the potter and the earthen vessel. 

16. Jer. 20-23: A message of doom; Christ the Branch. 

17. Jer. 24-26 : Type of good and bad figs. 

18. Jer. 27-29: Type of bands and yokes. 

19. Jer. 30-32: Deliverance and return promised. 

A Man Who Was Certain 

"Jeremiah was a man who was certain. He is often men- 
tioned as l the weeping prophet. ' Far more fittingly could he 
be called 'the assertive prophet.' He would follow his belief 
to any length; he trusted it implicitly, and imperiously de- 
manded that all others trust it implicitly. 

"Belief, with him, meant expression, and truth meant ac- 
tion. He was the most dramatic of preachers. He carried a 
new girdle to the Euphrates and buried it. After many days, 
he returned to the Euphrates and found his girdle ruined. 
'Thus,' said he, 'will the Lord mar your pride, O Judah, O 
Jerusalem ! ' He smashed an earthen bottle before the people, 
and cried, l Thus will the Lord break this people, and this city ! ' 
There is not in all the world a more vigorous piece of writing 
than the prophecies of Jeremiah. 

"He followed his beliefs with his money. While the army 
of Nebuchadnezzar was encamped around Jerusalem, he bought 
at the old-time prices the very ground where their tents were 
spread, as proof of his certainty that peace was coming. 

"He followed his beliefs, though they led him into igno- 
miny, though they appeared treasonable, though they contra- 
vened popular prejudice and royal desires. What of that? One 
was with him who was more than all besides. 

"He followed his beliefs so far as to record them. He 
would stand by them to the end of time. Jehoiakim might 
slash the roll to bits and burn it in his brazier. What of it? 
There was other parchment, and other ink, and the second roll 
should be larger than the first. 

"He followed his beliefs to the stocks. As he sat there, an 
object of contempt and derision, I do not believe that for an 
instant he wavered in adhesion to his conviction. . . . 



94 THE BIBLE YEAR 

"He followed his beliefs to the dungeon, to the dungeon 
below the dungeon, knee-deep in unimaginable mire, where foul 
reptiles wound through the darkness, and deadly odors nauseated 
and suffocated. Still, out of the depths he cried to his God, 
and held to his faith. 

"He followed his beliefs into exile, and, as one tradition 
asserts, into a violent death at the hands of the people upon 
whom he was pressing his convictions. He was true to his 
beliefs to the end. " — Amos B. Wells. 

Derided, Yet Faithful 

"Naturally of a timid and shrinking disposition, Jeremiah 
longed for the peace and quiet of a life of retirement, where 
he need not witness the continued impenitence of his beloved 
nation. His heart was wrung with anguish over the ruin 
wrought by sin. . . . Cruel were the mockings he was called 
upon to endure. His sensitive soul was pierced through and 
through by the arrows of derision hurled at him by those who 
despised his messages and made light of his burden for their 
conversion. 'I was a derision to all my people,' he declared, 
'and their song all the day.' " — Mrs. E. G. White. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 95 

Thirty-Fourth Week: August 20-26 

20. Jer. 33-35: Promises and warnings. 

21. Jer. 36-38: Imprisonment and partial release. 

22. Jer. 39-41: Jerusalem taken; Jeremiah liberated. 

23. Jer. 42-44: Warnings against Egypt. 

24. Jer. 45-48: Predictions against heathen nations. 

25. Jer. 49, 50 : Predictions against heathen nations. 

26. Jer. 51, 52 : The destruction of Jerusalem. 

The Book of Jeremiah 

History, biography, and prophecy enter into the composi- 
tion of the book of Jeremiah. The story of how at least a 
part of the book came to be written is quite fully told in chap- 
ter 36. Here is given an account of the writing of a roll by 
Baruch, who "wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah " all the 
messages the prophet had received from the Lord from the days 
of King Josiah, in whose reign Jeremiah began to prophesy. 
This roll was written in order that the people might hear these 
messages, and have an opportunity to repent, and thus escape 
the judgments foretold. At a great meeting at Jerusalem, 
called for the purpose, the roll was read. Later, by order of 
King Jehoiakim, it was burned — as many another message 
from the Lord has been burned since that day. 

Jeremiah then dictated another roll to Baruch, who wrote 
out not only all the words of the former roll, but many addi- 
tions. Canon Cook says, ■' There can be little doubt that the 
book of Jeremiah grew out of the roll which Baruch wrote 
down at the prophet 's mouth in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. ' ' 

As a whole, the book abounds in striking symbols and signs 
and figures of speech. Its assurances of our heavenly Father's 
kindness and "everlasting love, " its warnings and appeals, 
are peculiarly applicable to the present day. 

For a general survey of this book, it may be divided into 
four sections containing the prophecies uttered during the 
reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Gedaliah. 



96 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Thirty-Fifth Week: August 27 to September 2 

27. Lamentations. 

28. Ezek. 1-3: The prophet's commission. 

29. Ezek. 4-7 : Types of divine judgments. 

30. Ezek. 8-10: The chambers of imagery. 

31. .Ezek. 11-13 : Judgments and reproofs. 

1. Ezek. 14-17: Kejection and judgments of Jerusalem. 

2. Ezek. 18-20: God's justice; Israel's rebellion. 

The Book of Lamentations 

Like many other books of the Bible, Lamentations receives 
its title, in Hebrew, from the word with which it opens, 
1 * How. ' ' Our name ' ' Lamentations ' ' was taken from the Latin 
title to the book, Lamentationes Jeremiae. In the Septuagint, 
the following verse was prefixed to the book : ' l And it came to 
pass, after Israel was led into captivity, and Jerusalem laid 
waste, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented this lamenta- 
tion over Jerusalem, and said. ' ' Thus we have ancient authority 
for ascribing the authorship to Jeremiah, sometimes called 
"the weeping prophet." 

The Lamentations is an elegiac, or mournful, poem. Fur- 
ther, each of the five chapters of which the book is composed 
"is a separate poem, complete in itself, and having a distinct 
subject, but brought at the same time under a plan that in- 
cludes them all." 

A well-defined arrangement marks the structure of this 
book. The first four chapters are in the acrostic form. Chap- 
ters 1, 2, and 4 each have twenty-two verses, the first verse 
beginning with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the 
second verse with the second letter, and so on. Chapter 3 has 
three short verses under each letter, or sixty-six verses in all, — 
three times the number of verses in each of the other chapters. 
Chapter 5 also has twenty-two verses, but without the alpha- 
betic order. 

Across the dark pages of this inspired lament flash divine 
rays of light from the throne of God. The Lord's mercies 
* ' are new every morning ; ' ' " His compassions fail not. ' ' To 
those who seek Him, and wait for Him, He is good. Not only 
are we to hope, but also to wait, for His salvation; for "it is 
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the 
salvation of the Lord." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 97 

Ezekiel — the Man 

Ezekiel ("God strengthens"), a priest and one of the four 
greater prophets, was among the captives taken to Babylon 
with Jehoiachin, in 599 b. c, after Nebuchadnezzar '& second 
invasion of Judah. With others, he was placed in the fertile 
valley of the Chebar, about two hundred miles north of Baby- 
lon. Here his sublime visions were given; and here also the 
elders of his people came to inquire of the Lord in the dark 
years preceding the final captivity. 

Born and reared in Jerusalem, a member of a priestly 
house, Ezekiel prophesied a little over twenty-two years, be- 
ginning in 595 B. c. He was ' ' distinguished by his stern and 
inflexible energy of will and character, and his devoted ad- 
herence to the rites and ceremonies of his national religion." 
Zeal for the house of God and submission to the divine will 
characterized his life. Jeremiah and Daniel were his con- 
temporaries, the latter long surviving him. 

The prophet was a captive in the region of Nineveh; there- 
fore it is not unreasonable to suppose that he had at least 
heard of, and perhaps seen, the great apartments of its palaces, 
whose walls remain to this day, covered with images and in- 
scriptions and figures that supplement and confirm the Bible 
record. 

On these ancient mural tablets, we find many familiar 
names, — Jehu, Omri, Hazael, Menahem, Hezekiah, etc., and 
those of various cities in Judah and Syria. Not only so, but 
4 ' we discover Sennacherib 's own account of his invasion of 
Palestine, and of the amount of tribute which King Hezekiah 
was forced to pay him; also pictures representing his capture 
of Lachish; and his officers, perhaps the railing Eabshakeh 
himself, presenting Jewish captives to the king. ' ' 

A graphic commentary on the language of the prophet is 
supplied in these tablets and their cuneiform inscriptions. In 
these "chambers of imagery" are represented the "captains 
and rulers clothed most gorgeously," "horsemen riding upon 
horses," "the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with ver- 
milion," "in dyed attire," etc., as well as the idols of the 
land. 

Under the type of "the chambers of imagery," the Lord 
revealed to Jeremiah the secret sins of the leaders of Israel. 
The lesson is as applicable to many who call themselves by His 

4— Bible Year 






98 TEE BIBLE YEAR 



name to-day as it was to those to whom it was first spoken. 
In our hearts there is often a dark, secret chamber. "By our 
memory, and by that marvelous faculty that people call im- 
agination, and by our desires, we are forever painting the walls 
of the inmost chambers of our hearts with such pictures. That 
is an awful power which we possess, and, alas! too often used 
for foul idolatries. ' ' Some day those secret chambers will be 
opened. Shall it not be now, when the healing, cleansing rays 
of the Sun of righteousness will flood the heart temple, and 
cast out every evil image we have painted on its walls? 



THE BIBLE YEAR 99 

Thirty-Sixth Week: September 3-9 

3. Ezek. 21-23: Judgments threatened. 

4. Ezek. 24-26: Parable of a boiling pot; judgments. 

5. Ezek. 27-29: Doom of Tyre; promise to Israel. 

6. Ezek. 30-32: Desolation and overthrow of Egypt. 

7. Ezek. 33-35: God's mercy to the repentant. 

8. Ezek. 36-38: Blessings of Christ's kingdom. 

9. Ezek. 39-41 : Victories and restoration of Israel. 

The Book of Ezekiel 

Ezekiel has been called "the prolongation of the voice of 
Jeremiah, ' } and it is evident that the younger prophet was in- ■ 
fluenced by the messages of the elder. G. Campbell Morgan 
says: "His dealing with prevalent corruption was as severe 
as was that of Jeremiad, and his messages of judgment were 
equally stern. He never melted to tears as did Jeremiah, but 
his vision of the ultimate deliverance of the people by the tri- 
umph of Jehovah was even clearer. His vision was character- 
ized by penetration, and perhaps the word 'through' best de- 
scribes the quality of the prophecy. His messages were ad- 
dressed, in the first place, to the exiles on the banks of the 
river Chebar; and yet it is evident that through them he spoke 
to all Israel. Moreover, he distinctly affirms, in the course of 
his prophecy, that the application of the truths he enunciated 
is to all men, so that he not only spoke through the exiles to 
Israel, but through Israel to men of all nationalities and of all 
times. He saw the prevailing conditions, the ruin of his people, 
the obstinacy and rebellion even among the exiles in the midst 
of whom he lived; but through all these, he saw the eternal 
verities as to their foundations and as to their principles." 

"The Prophet of Fear and of Hope" 

is the characterization given to Ezekiel by Amos E. Wells, who 
says: 

"In some ways at least, Ezekiel was the most universal of 
the Hebrew prophets. In the first place, he was the first trans- 
planted prophet, the first to preach and teach and foretell the 
future away from the sacred soil of the Holy Land (that is, 
if we except the unwilling Jonah). Intensely national as he 
was, yet he was also in a sense the Paul of the Old Testament, 
forcing the gospel of his race to bloom from an alien soil 



100 THE BIBLE YEAR 

and under foreign skies. It has been only by many such ex- 
periences, repeated through the ages, that men have come 
thoroughly to understand that truth for one land is truth for 
all lands, and that God is no respecter of nations. ' ' 

Ezekiel ? s prophecy abounds in sublime images and lofty 
ideas. As we read, the mind is caught away from the low 
things of earth to the open heavens and the throne of God, 
circled with "the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud 
in the day of rain. ' ' 

"One of the most important topics of the book is the sub- 
ject of the Sabbath,' ' says F. D. Starr. "The combined testi- 
mony of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel constitutes a very strong 
evidence for the importance and enduring nature of this in- 
stitution. " Isaiah testifies concerning the blessedness of the 
Sabbath; Jeremiah sets forth the consequences of observing it, 
and also of disregarding it; and Ezekiel mentions its sancti- 
fying influence, and shows the distinction between the Sabbath 
and the other days of the week. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 101 

Thirty-Seventh Week: September 10-16 

10. Ezek. 42-44: Divine glory; laws and ordinances. 

11. Ezek. 45,46: Ordinances of justice and worship. 

12. Ezek. 47, 48 : The boundaries of the land. 

13. Dan. 1-3: The great image; the fiery furnace. 

14. Dan. 4-6: Dream of the tree; Belshazzar's feast. 

15. Dan. 7-9: Visions and their interpretation. 

16. Dan. 10-12: A vision and its explanation. 

The Prophet Daniel 

Of peculiar interest to every Seventh-day Adventist youth 
is the character of Daniel — his loyalty, his temperate habits, 
his courage, his steadfastness. A prince of one of the royal 
houses of Judah, at the time when the kingdom was tottering 
to its fall, he found it in his heart to serve the God of his 
fathers; and though, during his long life, he gave his allegiance 
and loyal service to four kingdoms, — Judah, Babylon, Persia, 
and Greece, — he never deviated from the law of his God. 

The following sketch of the life and times of Daniel is 
given to us by Elder Uriah Smith: 

11 Though we have a more minute account of the early life 
of Daniel than is recorded of any other prophet, yet his birth 
and lineage are left in complete obscurity, except that he was 
of the royal line, probably of the house of David, which had 
at this time become very numerous. He first appears as one 
of the noble captives of Judah, in the first year of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon, at the commencement of the seventy 
years ' captivity, 606 b. c. Jeremiah and Habakkuk were yet 
uttering their prophecies. Ezekiel commenced soon after, and 
a little later, Obadiah; but both these finished their work years 
before the close of the long and brilliant career of Daniel, . . . 

"His life affords a most impressive lesson of the impor- 
tance and advantage of maintaining from earliest youth strict 
integrity toward God, and furnishes a notable instance of a 
man's maintaining eminent piety and faithfully discharging all 
duties that pertain to the service of God, while at the same 
time engaging in the most stirring activities, and bearing the 
weightiest cares and responsibilities that can devolve upon 
men in this earthly life. ... 

"He is supposed to have died at Shushan, or Susa, in 
Persia, about the year 530 B. c, aged nearly ninety- four years, 



102 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

his age being the probable reason why he returned not to Judea 
with other Hebrew captives, under the proclamation of Cyrus. ' ' 

The source of power from which Daniel drew is open to the 
youth brought into trying places to-day. Mrs. E. G. White says: 

"The spirit that possessed Daniel, the youth of to-day may 
have; they may draw from the same source of strength, pos- 
sess the same power of self-control, and reveal the same grace 
in their lives, even under circumstances as unfavorable. ' ' 

The Book of Daniel 

Of even greater interest than the character and example of 
Daniel is the book which bears his name. Eight wonderful 
visions, predicting the history of the world from the prophet's 
day to the close of time, are given; and his authority is con- 
firmed by Christ Himself, who quotes from one of Daniel 's 
prophecies and calls him a prophet. A marvelous book, with 
understanding and eternal life in its twelve short chapters for 
all who study it earnestly! "It seems futile to attempt, in 
human language, adequately to extol the merits of this portion 
of divine revelation, ' ' says F. D. Starr; and Elder Uriah 
Smith pays it this tribute: "His prophecy is, in many re- 
spects, the most remarkable of any in the Sacred Eecord. It is 
the most comprehensive. It was the first prophecy giving a 
consecutive history of the world from that time to the end. It 
located the most of its predictions within well defined prophetic 
periods, though reaching many centuries into the future. It 
gave the first definite chronological prophecy of the coming of 
the Messiah. It marked the time of this event so definitely that 
the Jews forbid any attempt to interpret its numbers, since 
that prophecy shows them to have been without excuse in re- 
jecting Christ. " 

The time covered by the book is seventy-two years, — the 
seventy years of the captivity, and two years at its close. 

Outlines of Ezekiel and Daniel 

This week marks the completion of the reading of the last 
of the major prophetical books. Take a little time to study 
the arrangement of the books of Ezekiel and Daniel. One plan 
for studying the prophecy of Ezekiel divides it into two parts: 

1. Correction, Denunciation, Reproof . Chapters 1-32 

2. Consolation and Promise Chapters 33-48 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 103 

The book of Daniel may be outlined under three headings: 

1. Introduction Chapter 1 

2. History and Prophecy Chapters 2-6 

3. Visions of Daniel Chapters 7-12 

Make a list of the great prophetic visions recorded in this 
book, with titles and references. Close the book, and name 
them. 



104 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

Thirty-Eighth Week: September 17-23 

17. Hosea 1-3: Unfaithful Israel. 

18. Hosea 4-8: Charges against Israel. 

19. Hosea 9-11: The coming doom. 

20. Hosea 12-14: Eepentance and restoration. 

21. Joel: The day of the Lord cometh. 

22. Amos 1-4: Heathen nations condemned. 

23. Amos 5-9: The doom of Israel; visions. 

Hosea 

The prophetic career of Hosea, the first of the minor proph- 
ets, began about 782 b. a, and covered a period of about sixty 
years, the reigns of the last six of the kings of Israel. Hosea 
was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom. He was a contempo- 
rary of Isaiah, Joel, and Amos, and, like the latter prophet, 
was sent to the Israelites. It was a time of great spiritual 
darkness. Vice and iniquity flourished; the kings were dis- 
solute and profligate; and the priests, lost to all sense of the 
sacredness of their office, introduced shameful heathen rites 
into God's worship. 

In the vivid pages of Hosea ? s prophecy are given some 
glimpses of the conditions prevailing at that day, against which 
his voice was uplifted in fearless and faithful warning. Says 
H. T. Sell: "Outwardly it was a time of prosperity. The 
borders of the land were enlarged; Syria and Moab were con- 
quered; commerce and trade flourished; the offerings to the 
temple were large. Inwardly the nation was decaying. . . . 
The great empire of Assyria was advancing to crush Israel, 
who, being bereft of her only hope in God by her sins, was 
left to her fate." 

The prophecy of Hosea is the first and the longest of the 
twelve minor 'prophetical books. Of the style of the writer, 
Eichhorn says, "His discourse is like a garland, woven of a 
multiplicity of flowers; images are woven upon images, meta- 
phors strung upon metaphors." 

The purpose of the book "is to reveal Jehovah's loving- 
kindness and tender mercy to backsliding and idolatrous Israel, 
His everlasting faithfulness, and His unquenchable love for the 
sinful, the erring, and the lost." In its pages, says Dr. Mor- 
gan, "we have, first, a revelation of what sin is at its deepest 
and its worst; secondly, we have a revelation of the nature of 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 105 

judgment, and of its inevitable activity as the result of sin; 
and finally, we have a revelation of the unconquerable force 
of love. " 

Jesus, Matthew, Peter, and Paul quoted from this book. 

Joel, "the Prophet of the Day of the Lord" 

Although of the tribe of Reuben, and therefore of the 
Northern Kingdom, Joel was a prophet of Judah. Because he 
does not mention Assyria by name among the foes of Judah, 
he is supposed to have lived not later than the time of King 
Uzziah (in the closing years of whose reign Isaiah also prophe- 
sied), and to have begun his work about the year 800 b. c. The 
exact time when the prophecy was given which is preserved to 
us in the book bearing his name is uncertain; but there is 
nothing indefinite in his message; it bears the stamp of abso- 
lute certainty. 

Of the prophecies given by Joel concerning "the day of the 
Lord/' G. Campbell Morgan says: "As surely as they were 
written, they will be fulfilled. Place Joel as late as we may, 
allow the latest scholar to have his way, and declare that he 
spoke only four centuries before Christ; it is still enough if 
we admit that so long before the Pentecostal miracle this man 
saw it, to warrant us in saying that none has the right to deny 
that the things which our eyes have not seen will be seen. So 
surely as Joel wrote, God will act. 9 ' 

Amos — The Man and His Message 

Amos, a herdsman and fruit gardener of Tekoa, a small 
Judean town about twelve miles south of Jerusalem, was called 
to prophesy to Israel, and warn them of their impending doom. 
In answer to the call, he went to Bethel, where the heathen 
sanctuary was, and to Samaria, and fearlessly lifted up his 
voice against the idolatry and depravity of the chosen people 
as well as of the surrounding nations. 

It was an unpopular message and an unwelcome one that 
Amos was called to deliver. Jeroboam II had "restored the 
coast to Israel" and recovered certain cities, and an era of 
prosperity and its accompanying evils followed. "The rich 
lived in great luxury; their houses were built of hewn stone 
and paneled with ivory, 'where they drank and feasted to ex- 
cess amid delicate perfumes and soft strains of varied music. ' 
But all this was obtained through violence and robbery. The 



106 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

poor and needy were sold as slaves, and false weights and 
measures used. The judges were notoriously corrupt. To be 
upright was to be hated and .unpopular. ' ' 

On the complaint of Amaziah the priest, Amos was expelled 
from the kingdom, and it is supposed that he returned to his 
home village and there wrote out his prophecy. 

The book of Amos stands third in the list of the minor 
prophets; but in point of time, it precedes that of Hosea. It 
is, says Martin Anstey, " a well-ordered whole. It begins with 
a sonnet of eight stanzas on the doom of the nations (chapters 
1, 2). Then follow three discourses on the corruption of Israel, 
each beginning, 'Hear ye this word' (chapters 3-6). The doom 
of Israel is disclosed in a series of five visions (chapters 7 : 1 
to 9: 10), and the last five verses contain the usual Messianic 
conclusion. ' ' The book abounds with figures and illustrations 
drawn from the prophet's rustic, humble life. 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 107 

Thirty-Ninth Week: September 24-30 

24. Obadiah and Jonah. 

25. Micah 1, 2 : Judgments for national sins. 

26. Micah 3-5 : Judgments for social sins. 

27. Micah 6,7: Judgments and mercy. 

28. Nahum: God's goodness; judgments against Nineveh. 

29. Habakkuk: Judgments. 

30. Zephaniah: Judgments and reproof. 

Obadiah 

Nothing more is known of this man, the fourth of the twelve 
minor prophets, as their writings are arranged in our Bible, 
than may be gathered from the brief book that bears his name ; 
"he has hidden himself behind his prophecy." Some suppose 
that Obadiah prophesied after the fall of Jerusalem. As he 
saw the Edomites, hereditary foes of the Jews, rejoicing in 
the capture of their capital, and joining with the Assyrians to 
prevent their escape, he gave this brief prophecy to rebuke their 
brutality. ' ' Among all the prophets, he is the briefest in num- 
ber of words; in the grace of mysteries he is their equal." 

One statement in this little book is of stupendous impor- 
tance. Concerning the wicked when the reign of sin is ended, 
it is said, "They shall be as though they had not been." A 
just God decrees that the finally impenitent shall utterly perish 
— not surfer through unending ages. Like chaff from the sum- 
mer threshing floor, like stubble remaining after the wheat has 
been garnered, they will be utterly consumed. 

Jonah 

The story of Jonah is one of the most familiar of the Old 
Testament narratives. The prophet was a native of Gath- 
hepher, a village in the eastern frontier of Zebulun, a little 
more than an hour's journey north of Nazareth. He was 
sent with a message from the Lord to the sinful Jeroboam II. 
2 Kings 14: 25. 

According to the marginal dates, the book of Jonah is the 
oldest of the prophetic writings; and the experience therein 
recorded is thought to have occurred about three hundred years 
before Daniel, in Babylon, showed his loyalty to God by pray- 
ing openly, as was his custom, three times a day. It is thought 



108 THE BIBLE YEAB 

that the warning to Nineveh was given during the latter part 
of Elisha's life. 

Jonah was sent by God to carry a message of warning to 
a wicked heathen city — a missionary, without the missionary 
spirit. A man of narrow vision, he needed just the humbling 
which marked every step of this experience, in order to learn 
the great truth that God has no favorites, that His mercy em- 
braces the race. 

While the book of Jonah does not say that the great fish 
which the Lord prepared to receive the prophet was a whale, it 
is so named in one New Testament reference to the incident. 
The objection has been made that a whale could not swallow a 
man's body. On this point, Sidney Collett, in "All About the 
Bible," cites the evidence of an eyewitness who declared that 
on one occasion in his experience ' ' a shark fifteen feet in length 
was found in the stomach of a sperm whale.' ' The same 
authority added that ' ' when dying, the sperm whale always 
ejects the contents of its stomach/' and sometimes the ejected 
food is thrown out in masses much larger than a man's body. 
It was by this miraculous preservation of his life that Jonah 
became a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of our 
Lord. The accuracy of the historical record received abundant 
confirmation from the lips of Jesus, who said, "As Jonas was 
three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the 
Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of 
the earth." 

Micah 

Micah lived in the times of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, 
and was a native of Moresheth, a small town about twenty 
miles southwest of Jerusalem. He was a prophet both to Israel 
and to Judah. Isaiah, Joel, Hosea, and Amos were his con- 
temporaries, and each did his part in warning the people of 
destruction to come. 

Like the prophecy of Amos, Micah 's book abounds in illus- 
trations drawn from nature: "I am as when they have gath- 
ered the summer fruits," "the best of them is as a brier," 
Jacob shall be " as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, ' ' etc. 
The prophecy of Micah falls naturally into three divisions, — 
chapters 1 and 2, 3-5, and 6 and 7, — each beginning with the 
invocation "Hear," followed by rebukes and threatenings, 






TEE BIBLE YEAB 109 

passing into reasons for the judgment in the guilt of sin, and 
closing with a promise of blessing. 

Nahum 

The personal history of this prophet is veiled in obscurity. 
Some suppose him to have been the son of one of the captives 
in Assyria; others think he was a Galilean. His prophecy, the 
burden of Nineveh, is dated many years after the warning de- 
livered to that city by the reluctant Jonah. During this period 
Nineveh had returned to her evil ways, and become "a bloody 
city," "full of lies and robbery." In three distinct predic- 
tions, Nahum foretells the overthrow and scattering of Assyria. 

"As a poet Nahum occupies a high place in the first rank 
of Hebrew literature. His style is clear and uninvolved, though 
pregnant and forcible; his diction sonorous and rhythmical, the 
words reechoing to the sense." 

Habakkuk 

Nothing is known of the personal history of this prophet, 
but he is supposed to have been a Levite, a contemporary of 
Jeremiah, and to have prophesied during the reigns of Josiah 
and Jehoahaz. When Jerusalem was destroyed, he remained in 
the ruined city to mourn the sins of his people. The book 
begins with a prayerful lament, and ends with a joyful song 
of confidence and faith. 

Those who neglect some of these more obscure books of the 
Bible are like the South Africans who lived so long above the 
diamond fields of Kimberley. A priceless treasure is right at 
hand, but they neglect to make the necessary effort to obtain it. 
From the prophecy of Habakkuk the apostle Paul received his 
great watchword, ll T~he j'ust shall live by faith;" and it is 
said that Benjamin Franklin once stirred a company of skeptics 
to great enthusiasm by "an ancient poem" which he read to 
. them, — the third chapter of this book. Eead this chapter in 
the Revised Version, and note its lofty style, its vivid imagery, 
and its triumphant faith. 

"What is the final word of Habakkuk 's message for us?" 
asks Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, and he answers the question in 
the prophet's own words: " 'Though it [the vision] tarry, 
wait for it.' Does that seem an easy thing to do? I ask the 
question, and would give you time to think. Have you never 

8— Bible Year 



110 THE BIBLE YEAE 

discovered that waiting is the hardest of all work# 'Wait.' 
It is a great word. How shall I wait? On the wateh tower, 
telling God everything, and listening to God. When Habakkuk 
looked at his circumstances, he was perplexed. When he waited 
for God, and listened to God, he sang." 

Zephaniah 

This prophet traces his ancestry, in the first verse of his 
book, to Hizkiah, supposed to be the well-known Hezekiah, thir- 
teenth king of Judah. Zephaniah lived about the same time 
as Habakkuk, and prophesied in the beginning of Josiah >s reign. 
' ' The day of the Lord ' ' is the great theme of his book. His 
description of the day of judgment and wrath "is unsurpassed 
in its fierce terrors, as his description of the blessings of the 
divine presence in the restored Jerusalem (Zeph. 3: 16, 17) is 
unequaled in its gentleness and beauty. Zephaniah is a com- 
pendium of all prophecy. He singles out and enforces the main 
central truths of all prophecy, omitting local details and tem- 
poral agencies, and filling his canvas with an awe-inspiring 
picture of the presence of the divine Judge Himself." 

The book is characterized by ' ' the unity and harmony of its 
composition, the grace, energy, and dignity of its style, and 
the rapid and effective alternations of threats and promises." 
It (t reflects as in a mirror the character of the times," de- 
nounces the iniquity of the age, urges reform, and closes with 
"the glorious sunlight of God's mercy bursting forth from 
behind the clouds." 



THE BIBLE YEAR 111 

Fortieth Week: October 1-7 

1. Haggai: Build the house. 

2. Zech. 1-4 : The Branch ; not by might nor by power. 

3. Zech. 5-8: Restoration of Jerusalem. 

4. Zech. 9-11: Prophecies of Christ; promises of victory. 

5. Zech. 12-14: A fountain for sin. 

6. Malachi: Acceptable offerings. 

7. General review of the Old Testament. As far as you can, 

give a one-name title to each book; as, Genesis, "Be- 
ginnings ; ' ' Leviticus, ' ' Law ; f ' Psalms, ' l Praise. ' ' 
Note that the Old Testament contains thirty-nine books, 
divided into five parts — law, history, poetry, major 
prophets, minor prophets. There are five books of law, 
twelve of history, five of poetry, Hve major prophetical 
books, and twelve minor prophetical books. Review 
the twelve minor prophets, and outline them. 

Haggai 

The prophetic messages of this short book were given dur- 
ing a period of four nionths in the year 520 B. c, the second 
year of Darius Hystaspes. For sixteen years forty-two thou- 
sand returned exiles had been living in Jerusalem; but under 
the persecutions of the Samaritans, and also because of their 
desire for temporal gain, the enthusiasm with which they had 
begun the work of rebuilding the temple had waned, and for 
fourteen years it had lain neglected. 

"Consider your ways. Build the house/ ' was the pointed 
message which Haggai was commissioned to give to his rec- 
reant countrymen; and Zechariah added his voice in encourage- 
ment and exhortation. A message of encouragement was also 
sent to Zerubbabel, the valiant son of the governor of Judah, 
who led the people in their response to this call. 

By some, Haggai is thought to have been born in Babylon. 
Others suppose, from his reference to the glory of the first 
house, that he was among the aged exiles who wept when the 
foundations of the new temple were laid. Ezra 3 : 12. He was 
the tenth of the minor prophets, and the first after the exile. 

"Haggai helps us to see the perils of the hour when every- 
thing looks dark: and to understand the duty of the man of 
faith in such an hour, and in the presence of such perils.' ' 



112 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Zechariah 

Closely associated with the aged Haggai was the younger 
prophet Zechariah, born in Babylon, and returning with the 
first company of exiles to Jerusalem. "Both prophets had the 
same great object before them; both directed all their energies 
to the building of the same temple.' ' The enthusiasm of the 
people was reawakened; and under the courageous leadership 
of the elders, the house was finished in the sixth year of Darius. 

The book of Zechariah consists of three parts. In chapters 
1-6 are nine visions of the glory of the kingdom and the wor- 
ship of the Messiah; chapters 7 and 8 describe the acceptable 
fast; and the remainder of the book sets forth the future and 
final glory of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ. 
Many allusions are made to the first advent, and the book is 
frequently referred to in the New Testament. This prophecy, 
so full of "good words and comfortable words, " is of great 
consolation and hope to the child of God. 

" Zechariah 's prophecies of Christ are, in some respects, the 
most remarkable in the Old Testament. In one of his visions, 
the Father summons the sword to awake against the Shepherd, 
and against the Man that is His fellow; in another, men are 
looking in agony on the Lord whom they have pierced; in a 
third, Messiah rides on an ass into Jerusalem as a conqueror; 
and in a fourth, He is king of all the earth, and on the very 
bells of the horses there is inscribed 'Holiness unto the Lord.' 
The divine as well as the human nature of Christ, and His 
office as an atoning Saviour, were thus very distinctly made 
known. ' ' 

Malachi 

Malachi, meaning "my messenger, " the twelfth and last 
of the minor prophets, is sometimes called "the seal. " "With 
his book the Old Testament Scriptures close, and for four hun- 
dred years the Bible ended with Malachi. Little is known, but 
a great deal is conjectured, about this prophet. It seems cer- 
tain, however, that he prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah. 
The new temple was completed, and its services were reestab- 
lished. The sins of the people and the corruption of the priests 
are reproved; the obligation of tithing is clearly set forth; and 
the final utter destruction of the impenitent is foretold. One of 
the most precious texts in the book is the assurance that the 
Lord hears those who speak of His goodness, and has their 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 113 

names inscribed in a book of remembrance. Since He so values 
the faulty expressions of love and gratitude from His frail 
human children, how often should we speak His praise! 

Between the Testaments 

A period of about four hundred years separates the Old 
Testament from the New. Silent years! for as far as we have 
any record, with the prophecy of Malachi the voice that had so 
long and so faithfully spoken to the chosen people ceased. 
The old era was ending; the darkness that precedes the dawn 
settled upon Judah. 

But though the voice of sacred history is silent concerning 
this interval, we have the records of secular history and certain 
writings of the Jews themselves to illuminate it. With refer- 
ence to the Jews, it may be divided into six w^ll-defmed pe- 
riods. — the Persian, the Alexandrian, the Egyptian, the Syrian, 
the Maccabean, and the Boman. 

The Persian Period. — It was under Cyrus, first king of 
Persia, that the decree was made permitting the Jews to return 
to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. As long as the Persian 
kingdom lasted (to 334 b. a), the Jews enjoyed religious 
freedom and civil protection. 

The Alexandrian Period. — This brief period covers the 
time between the years 334-323 B. c, during which Alexander 
the Great ruled in Asia. On his way to Persia, Alexander be- 
sieged Tyre and Gaza, and marched toward Jerusalem, with the 
intention of subduing it. However, he was met by the high 
priest; and recognizing him as one whom he had seen in a 
dream, he went with him in peace to Jerusalem, visited the 
temple, and made certain pledges of protection to the Jews. He 
repulsed the overtures of the Samaritans, took their chief citv, 
and filled it with Macedonians. He founded Alexandria, in 
Egypt, which later became a great Jewish center. 

The Egyptian Period. — Alexander died at Babylon, b. c. 
323, and his kingdom was by and by divided for a time among 
four of his generals. Judea and Samaria lay between Egvpt, 
ruled by Ptolemy, and Syria, ruled by Seleucus. Naturally, 
both Syria on the north and Egypt on the south coveted the 
possession of Palestine; and during many troubled years, it 
was a battle ground between the Svrian princes, called the 
Selucidse, and the rulers of Egypt, known as the Ptolemies. 



114 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Finally Ptolemy Philopator defeated the Syrian king, Antioclms 
the Great, and obtained possession of Judea. But as soon as 
he died, Antiochus invaded Egypt, and established his cruel rule. 

The fortunes of the Jews varied during the Egyptian pe- 
riod. Ptolemy Philadelphus founded the great library of Alex- 
andria; and during his friendly reign, the celebrated Grecian 
translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, known as the Sep- 
tuagint, was made. Ptolemy Philopator, after defeating the 
Syrian king, attempted to enter the most holy place of the 
temple in Jerusalem, and when he was hindered, took a bloody 
revenge on the Jews. 

The Syrian Period. — This covered approximately the years 
204 to 165 B. c. It has been called "the valley of the shadow 
of death" for Israel. "The entire period was an almost un- 
interrupted martyrdom, " but it reached its height under An- 
tiochus Epiphanes, who is well called "the Nero of Jewish 
history. " He persecuted the Jews, razed the walls of Jeru- 
salem, and wantonly defiled the temple, by sacrificing swine and 
other unclean beasts. 

The Maccabean Period.— Persecution usually defeats its 
own ends, and such was the case with the Greco-Syrian kings. 
Here and there in Israel were men who would not worship the 
pagan gods, nor in any way compromise the faith of their 
fathers. An aged priest, Matthias, and his five sons, organized 
a revolt. When Matthias died, his Judas Maccabeus be- 
came leader. In three campaigns, Antiochus tried to stamp out 
the rebellion, but failed; at his death, Judas became governor 
of Jerusalem, and gradually the rule of the Maccabean priest- 
princes was established. It was a period of comparative peace. 
In time Judea freed herself from the Grecian yoke, the temple 
erected by the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim was destroyed, 
and the land of Edom was conquered. The Maccabean Period 
lasted a little more than a hundred years — from 165 to 63 B. c. 

The Roman Period. — Judea passed under the sway of 
Kome B. c. 63, when the Eoman general Pompey conquered Je- 
rusalem, and did what Ptolemy Philopator had sought to do 
long before — entered the holy of holies in the temple. Later, 
through the influence of Antony, Herod the Great, a descendant 
of Esau, secured the crown of Judea, and under his iron hand 
the line of the Maccabean princes came to an end, 



THE BIBLE YEAR 115 

The Apocrypha 

While the voice of prophecy was not heard in Judea during 
the long period of four hundred years which marked the closing 
of the old dispensation, "the old literary instinct of the Jews 
asserted itself/ 7 and many writings were produced. Some of 
these contain a great deal of foolishness; others are valued as 
a history of the period. 

Fourteen of these books, having the following titles, are 
known as the Apocrypha: First and Second Esdras, Tobit, 
Judith, portions of Esther not found in the Hebrew or Aramaic 
originals, The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, The 
Song of the Three Holy Children, The History of Susanna, Bel 
and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasses, and First and Sec- 
ond Maccabees. 

The name "Apocrypha" is a Greek word meaning "hid- 
den," or "secret," and was given these books because their 
authorship is unknown. The date of their writing is also a 
matter of doubt, though it is generally placed between the 
years 200 and 100 b. c. While these apocryphal books are 
found in the oldest copies of the Septuagint in existence, it 
is generally agreed that they were not included when the first 
Greek translation was made, and indeed were not added till 
between a. d. 300 and 400. Sidney Collett says: "Although 
there are in the New Testament about 263 direct quotations 
from, and about 370 allusions to, passages in the Old Testa- 
ment, yet amongst all these there is not a single reference, 
either by Christ or His apostles, to the apocryphal writings." 

In 1546 the famous Council of Trent (which condemned the 
leading doctrines of the Keformation) declared the Apocrypha 
to be "canonical and authoritative," and it is included in the 
Bibles used by the Eoman Catholics. However, the fact that 
the Eoman Catholic Church so recently deemed it necessary to 
make such a decree "is sufficient proof in itself that even up 
to that time these apocryphal books, although they had doubt- 
less been included in some versions of the Bible for many years, 
had not been really acknowledged as forming part of the true 
word of God." 



I The Master's Words J 

P "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words 
P shall not pass away." Luke 21 : 33. 

I =_ == ^ ===_ = ~ | 

J 77ie); have not passed away. The ages lie 

In myriad heaps of ashes, cold and gray, 
p Upon the moorlands, stretching far away 

J Into the past, where, gaunt against the sky, 

A cross once stood and raised its arms on high. 

P Gone is the cross, and likewise gone are they 

Who saw the Master lifted up that day 
To perish, that the world might never die, 
But have eternal life. Caiaphas lies 



d To sleep his last, and Herod's bones are dust. 

Judea's memory is a thing of rust, 

Which time shall sweep away. The arching sl?ies 

A Themselves shall pass, the earth itself decay ; 

But Christ's sweet words shall never pass away. 
4 —Selected. 4 

§ § 

I ! 



(116) 






THE BIBLE YEAR 117 

Forty-First Week: October 8-14 

8. Matt. 1-4: Genealogy; birth; baptism; temptation. 

9. Matt. 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount. 

10. Matt. 8-10: Miracles; commission to the twelve. 

11. Matt. 11-13: Jesus teaches and preaches; prophetic 
parables. 

12. Matt. 14-16: John beheaded; faith commended. 

13. Matt. 17-20: The transfiguration; parables. 

14. Matt. 21-23: Triumphal entry; parables. 

The Life of Jesus 

"It pleased God to have the earthly history of our divine 
Redeemer written by four different men, two of whom belonged 
to the inner circle of companionship of our Lord — Matthew 
and John, who were numbered among the chosen twelve; and 
two of whom, Mark and Luke, were ardent believers, though 
not numbered among the twelve apostles. Thus we have two 
witnesses from within and two from without that distinguished 
band, all bearing united testimony to the same great facts con- 
cerning our Lord. ' ' — Starr. 

Matthew — Apostle and Evangelist 

Matthew, the author of the first Gospel, was a Galilean 
Jew; he looked at Jesus' life through Jewish eyes; his message 
was, first of all, to the Jewish people. His home was at Caper- 
naum, and his business was that of a small tax collector under 
the Roman government. He appears to have been a man of 
wealth. By the calling of Matthew, the busy collector of dues 
and customs from travelers and cargoes crossing the Sea of 
Galilee, or passing through Capernaum on the great Damascus 
road which ran along the shore, we are shown that ' i Christ did 
not call idle men to work in His vineyard. " 

While it is true that Matthew was a Jew, his occupation 
made him at once despised and feared by his countrymen, 
always restless under the rule of Rome. As a tax collector, he 
would be likely to be close-fisted, hard-headed, and an adept at 
driving shrewd bargains. The seat of l ' the receipt of custom * ' 
was no place for a man of warm human sympathies. "The 
tax collector for the Romans had to make many an exorbitant 
gain — for himself, his overlord, the emperor, and the empire. ' ; 



118 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Yet it was Levi, the publican, whom the Lord called to join 
the little group of men who were to be so closely associated 
with Him during His earthly ministry. Still more, he was to 
be one of those who would place on record some of the inci- 
dents of that matchless life. 

Why did Jesus choose Matthew! Mrs. E. G. White says 
that "He looked below the surface, and read the heart. His 
divine eye saw in Matthew one whom He could use for the 
establishment of His church. " Matthew had heard of Jesus 
from the crowds that passed and repassed his money table. 
He knew the time was near for the Messiah to appear; and as 
he pondered and weighed the prophecies, and compared them 
with what he had heard concerning the Son of Joseph, he was 
favorably impressed. The day came when Jesus, passing that 
way, stopped before Matthew, and spoke directly to him: 
' ' Follow Me. ' ' Matthew 's own record of that epochal moment 
is very brief. He says nothing about "forsaking all;" but 
simply, "He arose, and followed Him." 

The Book of Matthew 

The Gospel of Matthew, like Mark's and Luke's, is 
called "synoptical," because it gives the reader a more or less 
connected view of the Saviour's life. This, the earliest of the 
Gospels, was probably written at Jerusalem, between a. d. 50 
and A. d. 65, in the Greek language. Some have thought that 
it may have been written at a still earlier date in Aramaic, the 
language of Palestine; but this is uncertain. The great object 
of the book was to show to the Jews that the Old Testament 
prophecies of the Messiah met their complete and perfect ful- 
fillment in Christ. There are said to be as many as sixty-five 
references in this Gospel to the Old Testament Scriptures; in 
fact, the key to the book is found in the phrase, ' ' that it might 
be fulfilled." 

For Further Study 

Note the references to the Old Testament, and make a list 
of them. 

Study the geography covered by this book, especially that 
of the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding country. 

Make a list of the miracles and parables recorded by 
Matthew. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 119 

Suggested Outline 

The book may be outlined under three heads: 

1. Birth and Early Youth of Jesus. .. .Chapters 1,2 

2. Ministry in Galilee Chapters 3-18 

3. In Judea and Jerusalem Chapters 19-28 



120 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

Forty-Second Week: October 15-21 

15l Matt. 24-26: Christ's great prophecy; Gethsemane. 

16. Matt. 27, 28 : Crucifixion and resurrection. 

17. Mark 1-3: John 's ministry ; baptism of Jesus ; miracles. 

18. Mark 4-6: Parables and miracles. 

19. Mark 7-10: Pharisees reproved; miracles; transfigu- 

ration. 

20. Mark 11-13: Triumphal entry; parables; prophecy. 

21. Mark 14-16: Passover; crucifixion; resurrection. 

Mark — the Man and His Book 

"John, whose surname was Mark," had a Jewish-Eoman 
name, "John" being Hebrew, and " Marcus' y Eoman. He 
lived in Jerusalem with his godly mother, a certain Mary, who 
seems to have been a person of means and influence among the 
early Christians. "We find her house mentioned in Acts 12: 12 
as a meeting place in a time of danger and perplexity. Peter 
went there after his miraculous deliverance from prison. 

Barnabas, the fellow laborer of Paul, was cousin to Mark, 
who accompanied the two elder men as their "minister," on 
the first great missionary journey. Later, Mark was with Paul 
during his first imprisonment in Eome; and still later, with 
Peter in Babylon. After this, Paul, during his second impris- 
onment, wrote to Timothy at Ephesus, and asked him to bring 
Mark with him to Eome. "For," said Paul, "he is profitable 
to me for the ministry. " 

From the fact that Peter refers to Mark as "Marcus my 
son," it is inferred that the young man was converted under 
the ministry of this ardent disciple, who thus became his spir- 
itual father. By many, Peter is supposed to have superintended 
the writing of Mark 's Gospel, which is one ' ' of rapid movement 
and many graphic touches, impetuous as Peter himself.' ' 

Mark's Gospel is the shortest of the four accounts of the 
Saviour's earthly life; and by some it is thought to be "by 
far the most vivid and dramatic in its narratives. ' ' The words 
"are full of charm and color, the movement of events is ener- 
getic and active. ' ' Mark is said to be a " true evangelical his- 
torian, relating facts more than discourses, in a concise, simple, 
rapid style, with occasional minute and graphic details. " 

Matthew wrote especially for the Jews, but Mark for the 
Gentiles. "The frequent explanations of Jewish terms, the 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 121 

omission of reference to Jewish law and of Christ's genealogy, 
and the use of several Latin words, all point to the purpose of 
the book to aid the Gentiles, and favor the tradition that it was 
written at Rome and for the Romans." One peculiarity of 
Mark's style is his frequent use of the Greek word translated 
"straightway," "immediately," etc. 

The date of the writing of Mark's Gospel is not certainly 
known, but it must have been before the destruction of Jeru- 
salem, which occurred in a. d. 70. 

For Further Study 

Read the Bible dictionary (art. "Herod") to get a clear 
idea of the Herods of the New Testament. 

Write the names of the twelve apostles. 

Study the geography of Nazareth, Capernaum, Jericho, 
Jerusalem, and the temple. Note the visits of Jesus to these 
places. 

Make a list of Jesus' references to, and His work on, the 
Sabbath. 

Suggested Outline 

Outline the book of Mark under the following topics: 

1. Introduction Chapter 1 : 1-13 

2. The Kingdom of God Proclaimed in Galilee 

Chapters 1 : 14 to 9 : 50 

3. The Kingdom of God Proclaimed in Judea . . Chapter 10 

4. The Triumphant King Chapters 11-13 

5. The Suffering King Chapters 14, 15 

6. The Victorious King and Risen Lord Chapter 16 






122 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Forty-Third Week: October 22-28 

22. Luke 1-3: The child Jesus; preaching of John. 

23. Luke 4-6: The temptation; miracles; parables. 

24. Luke 7-9 : Miracles and parables 

25. Luke 10-12: The seventy sent out. 

26. Luke 13-17: Parables; discourses; miracles. 

27. Luke 18-21: Miracles and parables. 

28. Luke 22-24: Last days of ministry; crucifixion; resur- 

rection. 

Luke — Physician and Friend 

Very little of the personal history of Dr. Luke, as we should 
call him if he were alive to-day, is known to us. Only three 
references to him by name are found in the New Testament, 
all these from the pen of Paul, with whom he was closely asso- 
ciated. His name appears in a list of the apostle 's fellow 
laborers; once he is called "Luke, the beloved physician/' 
which shows him to have been sympathetic and kind; and again, 
when Paul was in chains in Kome, we read, "Only Luke is 
with me ' ' — not only beloved, but faithful. Luke 's fidelity as 
a friend is shown, too, in his anxiety that the Gentile nobleman 
Theophilus should have an accurate and faithful account of the 
life and ministry of Jesus, in order that he might be convinced 
of the divinity of Christ. 

The frequent use of the pronoun "we" in certain parts of 
Acts shows that Luke, the writer of that book, shared many of 
Paul's missionary experiences. Luke's writings contain "the 
least possible reference to himself; yet we cannot doubt that 
he was eminently useful to the early church by his learning, 
judgment, fidelity, and even his medical skill." 

The Gospel According to Luke 

It is a mistake not to read the preface to any book, espe- 
cially if it is written by the author himself. The preface to 
Luke's Gospel is very enlightening. From it we learn that 
many persons had ' ' taken in hand to draw up a narrative ' ' con- 
cerning certain matters which had recently been fulfilled. Luke 
was a Gentile Christian. He had not had the privilege of seeing 
Jesus' miracles and listening to His instruction; but he studied 
the records prepared by those who had been eyewitnesses of the 
life of Christ, tracing "the course of all things accurately from 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 123 

the first/ ' and set out to write an orderly account of what he 
recognized as the supreme event of the ages. 

Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Jews, who believed in the 
true God and were looking for a fulfillment of the prophecies 
concerning Messiah. 

Mark — perhaps the son of a Jewish mother and a Roman 
father, since his name is both Jewish and Roman ■ — wrote pri- 
marily to convince the Romans of the divinity of Christ. 

Luke wrote for the Greeks, who took pride in their humanity 
and broadmindedness. They humanized countless natural ob- 
jects, peopled the earth with various imaginary creatures, and 
deified man, exalting his vices equally with his virtues. Luke 
presents Christ as the "ideally perfect man," and shows how 

j not only man but all the forces of nature are obedient to His 
will. He is the Saviour of all mankind. "This is the most 

; complete Gospel. In this Gospel, women appear most often. 

i It preserves for us a number of most beautiful hymns. It uses 

i many words peculiar to Luke, which serve to bind together the 
Gospel and the Acts, and prove them to be by one author. " 
Luke 's Gospel was probably written between A. d. 60 and 70. 

I Many authorities believe that it was written in A. D. 63. 

For Further Study 

Compare the Gospel of Mark with that of Luke, noting dif- 
ferences. 

Make a list of miracles found only in Luke. 

Add to your list of references on proper Sabbath observance. 

Suggested Outline 

Outline Luke's Gospel under the following topics: 

1. Preface Chapter 1 : 1-4 

2. Advent of the Saviour of the World 

Chapters 1: 5 to 4: 13 

3. His Work for the Gentile World. .Chapters 4: 14 to 9: 50 

4. His Work for the Jewish World. .Chapters 9: 51 to 18: 30 

5. His Death for All the World. . .Chapters 18: 31 to 23: 56 

6. His Resurrection and Ascension as Saviour of All the 
World Chapter 24 






124 TEE BIBLE YEAE 



Forty-Fourth Week: October 29 to November 4 

29. John 1-3: Jesus' baptism; water made wine. 

30. John 4-6 : The woman of Samaria ; miracles. 

31. John 7-9: In the temple; blind man healed. 

1. John 10-12: The Good Shepherd; entry into Jerusalem. 

2. John 13-15 : The last supper. 

3. John 16, 17 : Words of comfort and farewell. 

4. John 18-21: Betrayal; crucifixion; resurrection. 

John the Beloved 

John not only held, with Peter and James, a place in the 
innermost circle of Jesus' friends, but he is also distinguished 
among the twelve as the disciple whom Jesus loved. If we 
stop to think why he is thus honored, we must conclude that it 
was because of his sincere and abiding love for his Lord. This 
love led him to understand the deep spiritual truths taught by 
Jesus; it carried him "into the palace of the high priest M 
with Jesus when all the other disciples fled, even Peter stand- 
ing ( l at the door without ; ' ' it lent wings to his feet after the 
nights of waiting, bringing him first to the empty tomb on the 
resurrection morning; and it rent asunder the mists of doubt 
and sorrow by the Sea of Galilee, and led him to exclaim, "It 
is the Lord! M Wonderful changes came into the life of John 
because of his love for Jesus. 

Like his father Zebedee and his brother James, John was a 
Galilean fisherman. He was of Bethsaida, but was often at 
Capernaum, the busy commercial center of that populous dis- 
trict. He was one of the first of the twelve to leave his daily 
occupation to follow Jesus. 

The picture presented of John in the Scriptures ' ' has a pe- 
culiar charm, so much peace, humility, charity, and brotherly 
love glow in it. His affectionate, meditative, spiritual char- 
acter had also the elements of vigor and decision. Though 
amiable, he was firm and fearless. ' ' John was present at the 
scene of the Saviour's crucifixion, which he describes minutely, 
with all the vividness of an eyewitness; and after the ascen- 
sion, he faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed the gospel, in the 
face of imprisonment, torture, even death itself. 

The Gospel According 1 to John 

This Gospel is of later date than the others, having been 
written while the disciple was living at Ephesus, presumably 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 125 

between a. d. 80 and A. d. 90. Others give the date as 98 A. D., — 
nearly thirty years after the destruction of Jerusalem. His 
purpose in writing is clearly set forth by the apostle himself. 
"Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His dis- 
ciples, ' ' which are not recorded here, he says. ' l But these are 
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
of God; and that believing ye might have life through His 
name. ' ' 

John's Gospel is called "the Gospel for the church," those 
who, whether Jews or Gentiles, have accepted Jesus as their 
Saviour. ' l They had attained to a new life, with different aims, 
duties, and aspirations; they were seeking the everlasting life 
of glory with Christ, of which this new life was the beginning. ' ' 

John's Gospel seems to assume that those who read will be 
familiar with the history and many of the details of Jesus' 
life. The accounts of His birth, baptism, temptation, trans- 
figuration, and ascension are omitted, together with the Sermon 
on the Mount and the prophetic discourses. So also all the 
parables found in the other Gospels. Six miracles, five of which 
are found only in this Gospel, are given. About two thirds of 
the whole book describes events of the last six months of the 
Master's life, and one third is taken to record the history of 
the last weeks. John's Gospel "is rich in noble discourses, and 
above all in the wonderful final discourse of his Master." 

It was by the inspired pen of the beloved disciple, who 
dwelt so often on the subject of love, that the golden text of 
the gospel was given to mankind — ' ' God so loved the world, 
that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This 
text has been the theme of thousands of sermons, the comfort 
of countless aching hearts, the assurance of unnumbered dying 
saints, and the hope of who shall say how many repenting 
sinners. Martin Luther called it "the gospel in a nutshell;" 
another declares it to be "the best thing ever put in human 
words ; ' ' and still another likens it to " infinite riches in a 
little room." 

If You Have Time 

Make a six-question study on each of the following sub- 
jects: Baptism, Sabbath Keeping, The Last Days, Christ's 
Second Coming. Use texts found in the four Gospels. 



126 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Suggested Outline 

Outline John's Gospel under the following titles: 

1. Introduction Chapter 1 : 1-18 

2. Jesus Eeveals Himself to the World 

Chapters 1 : 19 to 12 : 50 

3. Jesus Eeveals Himself to His Disciples. . .Chapters 13-17 

4. Jesus Crucified and Raised to Life Chapters 18-21 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 127 

Forty-Fifth Week: November 5-11 

5. Acts 1,2: Jesus ' ascension; Pentecost. 

6. Acts 3-5: Preaching; power; deliverance. 

7. Acts 6, 7 : Defense and death of Stephen. 

8. Acts 8, 9 : From persecutor to persecuted. 

9. Acts 10-12: The gospel to the Gentiles; persecution. 

10. Acts 13-15: The first gospel missionaries. 

11. Acts 16-18: Paul at Athens and Corinth. 

The Book of Acts 

This book, the fifth of the New Testament, is a record of 
the early diffusion of the gospel. Two men — Peter, one of 
the twelve, and Paul, a converted Pharisee — had a prominent 
part in beginning this great work; and the narrative may be 
properly divided into two parts, the first dealing more par- 
ticularly with the deeds of Peter, and the second with those of 
Paul. Instead of the title "The Acts of the Apostles," the 
book is called in the Greek, "Acts of Apostles.' ' 

The Acts was written by Luke, and by him inscribed to 
the same Theophilus for whose enlightenment his Gospel, re- 
ferred to as " the former treatise, ' ' was written. It was prob- 
ably written with no other thought on the part of Luke than 
simply to give to his friend a true account, without elaboration 
- or embellishment, of a very interesting sequence of events. 
This fact gives an added charm to the book. 

Luke was himself an eyewitness of many of the incidents 
recorded. He was, moreover, well versed in recent Jewish his- 
tory, and familiar with all the events connected with the great 
gospel movement which, after Pentecost, swept over the world. 
It was fitting that one having a "perfect understanding ' ' of 
all these facts, and a gifted pen for setting them down in 
order, should "gather up the four strands of the Gospels, and 
braid them into one narrative," without which our knowledge 
of the early apostolic church would be fragmentary indeed. 

Luke was the friend and associate of Paul — perhaps also 
his physician. At all events, he was with the apostle in Eome, 
and it is supposed that he wrote the Acts there, about two 
years after Paul's arrival in the imperial city, as recorded in 
Acts 28: 30. 

"The style of this book is very forcible, fresh, and graphic; 
the events are narrated in a clear and dignified manner; and 



128 THE BIBLE YEAE 

the peculiarities of each speaker are well preserved. " Notice 
the description of the day of Pentecost, with the natural amaze- 
ment of the foreign multitudes at Jerusalem, and the timely 
sermon of Peter; the organization of the early church; the ser- 
mon and martyrdom of Stephen; the conversion of Saul and 
the vision of Peter; the narration of the incidents leading up 
to the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles; the imprison- 
ment and deliverance of Peter; the changeableness of the popu- 
lace at Lystra; the song in prison and succeeding events; the 
discourse at Athens; the tumult at Ephesus; and the vivid 
recital of the various changes and experiences in the apostle 's 
journey to Eome. 

An intelligent reading of the Acts presupposes a knowledge 
oi' the geography of the countries mentioned, and some famili- 
arity with the history of the period and the manners and cus- 
toms of the peoples described. A good Bible dictionary will be 
a great help in clearing up obscure or unfamiliar details. 

The history covered in Acts occupied about thirty-three 
years. Four Roman emperors — Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, 
and Nero — reigned during this period. 

Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles 

Saul, afterward called Paul, was born at Tarsus, the me- 
tropolis of Cilicia. It was distinguished for its culture in 
letters and philosophy, being at one time the rival of Athens 
and Alexandria. 

Paul was a Jew, well born, of the tribe of Benjamin; and 
along with his good social position, he received from his father 
his Koman citizenship. Though in an alien city, surrounded by 
the seducing influences of heathenism, and subjected to the 
allurements of pagan culture and philosophy, Paul was carefully 
instructed in the religion of his fathers. He was, to use his 
telling phrase, "a Hebrew of the Hebrews. " 

Paul 's father was a Pharisee, and according to the strict 
rules and laws of this dominant party of the Jews was the 
young man brought up. u At a suitable age he was sent to 
Jerusalem to complete his education in the school of Gamaliel, 
the most distinguished rabbi of that age. It does not appear 
that he was in Jerusalem during the ministry of Christ; and 
it was perhaps after his return to Tarsus that he learned the 
art of tent making, in accordance with the general practice 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 129 

among the Jews, and their maxim, 'He that does not teach 
his son a useful handicraft teaches him to steal.' " 

Besides being the possessor of a liberal education according 
to rabbinical standards, Paul seems to have been a master of 
the Greek language, and familiar with its literature. But all 
this, with all worldly honor and position, he gladly counted 
loss for the cause of Christ. He seems to have been the first 
"to regard Christianity in its true light, as a universal religion. 
While others were for Juclaizing all those who embraced the 
new religion, by imposing on them the yoke of Mosaic observ- 
ances, it was Paul's endeavor to break down the middle wall 
of separation between Jews and Gentiles, and show them that 
they were all ' one in Christ. ' ' ' 

It was the dissolute Nero, relentless persecutor of the early 
Christians, who, says Mrs. E. G. White, "pronounced the de- 
cision that condemned Paul to a martyr's death. Inasmuch as 
a Roman citizen could not be condemned to torture, he was 
sentenced to be beheaded. . . . Few spectators were allowed 
to be present; for his persecutors, alarmed at the extent of his 
influence, feared that converts might be won to Christianity 
by the scenes of his death. But even the hardened soldiers who 
attended him, listened to his words, and with amazement saw 
him cheerful and even joyous in the presence of death." 

Paul was a world-man — a scholar, an author, a philosopher, 
an orator, the first and greatest gospel missionary, and a match- 
less leader of men. Yet he took for his guiding motto four 
monosyllables, ' ' One thing I do. ' ' He lived it ; he died for 
it; and his example of singleness of purpose will be an inspi- 
ration as long as men shall study his life. 



5— Bible Year 



130 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Forty-Sixth Week: November 12-18 

12. Acts 19-21: Paul at Ephesus; farewell; at Jerusalem. 

13. Acts 22,23: Defense before the Jews; conspiracy. 

14. Acts 24-26: Defense before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. 

15. Acts 27,28: The journey to Rome. 

16. Bom. 1-4: Justification by faith. 

17. Rom. 5-7: Reconciliation; the wages of sin. 

18. Rom. 8-10: Divine grace; righteousness by faith. 

Introduction to the Epistles 

Twenty-one of the twenty-seven books which compose the 
New Testament are in the form of letters, written by five men, 
If the book of Hebrews is included in the list, fourteen of 
these letters were written by Paul; John wrote three; Peter 
wrote two; and James and Jude one each. The unquestioned 
Pauline epistles are, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, 
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second 
Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. 

It has been said that "the foundation of . Christianity is 
laid in a narrative, but the first and greatest development of 
Christian theology is laid in a collection of letters." Of the 
value of these writings, Mr. H. T. Sell says: 

"We gain from this kind of literature a very vivid impres- 
sion of the condition of the early churches. We look directly 
into their troubles, their joys, their customs and doctrines. We 
have a clearer impression of how matters actually were then 
than we could probably get from a formal treatise or carefully 
prepared book. The interest in some of the questions discussed 
has passed away; but the principles remain, and the doctrinal 
value is unquestioned. Here is the record of a great battle 
fought and won for the cause of Christ. ' These epistles touch 
with clearness and certainty on the very highest truths of hu- 
man aspiration and action. ' " 

The Epistles of Paul 

The epistles of Paul may be divided into four groups for 
topical study: 

1. The Second Advent Epistles: First and Second Thessa- 
lonians. These were written during the second missionary jour- 
ney, — First Thessalonians at Corinth, A. D. 52 ; and Second 
Thessalonians, a. d. 53, probably from the same city. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 131 

2. Doctrinal and ' ' Anti- Judaic ' ' Epistles : First Corinthians, 
57 A. D v at Ephesus; Second Corinthians, 57 a. d., probably at 
Philippi; Galatians and Eomans, 58 A. D., at Corinth. These 
were written during the third missionary journey, to refute cer- 
tain errors, and to set forth great Christian doctrines. 

3. The Imprisonment Epistles, written during the first im- 
prisonment of the apostle in Rome: Philippians, Colossians, 
Philemon, and Ephesians, about 62 to 63 A. d. 

4. The Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy, Second Timothy, 
and Titus. First Timothy and Titus were written about 64 
A. D., probably in Macedonia ; Second Timothy was written in 
Rome, about 66 A. d. These were the epistles oi Paul 's latest 
years, written to workers who had been closely associated with 
him. They deal mainly with the duties of a Christian pastor. 

The Epistle to the Romans 

Without, so far as is known, the ministry of the living 
preacher, a company of believers in the Christian religion had 
been raised up at Rome. This might have been accomplished 
through the conversion of some of the ' ' strangers of Rome, ' ' 
both ' ' Jews and proselytes, ' ' who were in Jerusalem on the 
day of Pentecost; or the gospel seed might have been carried 
to that stronghold of paganism by some of the believers who 
were scattered abroad as the result of the persecution that arose 
after the death of Stephen. 

Paul, always seeing and feeling the needs of the distant 
fields, had it in mind to visit these believers, and carry the gos- 
pel light to them. In carrying out this purpose, he was for a 
time hindered; but in A. D. 58, while at Corinth, he improved the 
opportunity to send a letter to these brethren by the hand of 
Phebe, a deaconess in a neighboring church. 

In such a mixed company, so far removed from Christian 
counsel and instruction, errors would naturally come in, and 
many perplexing questions arise. It was Paul ; s purpose to pre- 
sent in this letter i ' the great principles of the gospel. He stated 
his position on the questions which were agitating the Jewish 
and Gentile churches, and showed that the hopes and promises 
which had once belonged especially to the Jews were now offered 
to the Gentiles also. With great clearness and power the apostle 
presented the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. He 
hoped that other churches might also be helped by the instruc- 
tion sent to the Christians at Rome, but how dimly could he 



132 TEE BIBLE YEAH 

foresee the far-reaching influence of his words! Through all 
the ages, the great truth of justification by faith has stood as 
a mighty beacon to guide repentant sinners into the way of 
life. . . . For the epistle to the church at Kome eyery Christian 
has reason to thank God. 

For Further Study 

Learn what you can about Herod, Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. 

Outline Paul's three missionary journeys, — (a) with Barna- 
bas and John Mark; (b) with Silas; (cj with Timothy; also 
the incidents of his arrest and trial, and the yoyage to* Eome. 

Suggested Outline 

The book of Acts may be outlined in five parts, thus : 

1. The Jerusalem Period Chapters 1-7 

2. The Palestinian Period Chapters 8-12 

3. The Asia Minor Period Chapters 13-15: 35 

4. The Grecian Period Chapters 15 : 36 to 20 

5. The Roman Period Chapters 21 

Fill in subordinate titles, with references. For instance, 
under the fifth topic the following may be giyen: 

Before Felix Chapters 23 : 31 t 

Before Festus Chapter 25 : 1-12 

Before Agrippa Chapters 25 : 13 to 26 : 32 

Aboard the Adramyttium Ship Chapter 27 : 1-5 

Aboard the Alexandrian Ship Chapter 27: 6-44 

On the Island of Malta Chapter 28 : 1-10 

Aboard the Castor and Pollux Chapter 28: 11-14 

At Rome Chapter 28 : 15-31 

Such an outline of the whole book will bring its contents be- 
fore you at a glance, and will be inyaluable in fixing them in 
mind. 



19. 


Rom. '. 


20. 


Rom. ] 


21. 


1 Cor. 


22. 


1 Cor. 


23. 


1 Cor. 


24. 


1 Cor. 


25. 


1 Cor. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 133 

Forty-Seventh Week: November 19-25 

11-13 : Counsel to believers. 

14-16: Forbearance; kindness; benediction. 
1-4: Faithfulness of God; the sure foundation. 
5-7 : ' l Ye are bought with a price. ' ' 
8-10: Paul's objective in service. 
11-13 : The Lord 's Supper ; ' ' love never faileth. ' ' 
14-16: Spiritual gifts; the resurrection. 

Corinth 

This rich, populous, and cosmopolitan city was situated about 
forty miles west of Athens, on an isthmus separating the Ionian 
and the iEgean Sea. With its favorable geographical location, 
and its two ports, one on each sea, Corinth increased rapidly in 
commercial and military importance, and proportionately also in 
the luxuries and vices that too often follow an abundance of this 
world's goods. 

In Paul's day, Corinth was one of the most important cities 
not only in Greece, but in the world. Through its gates surged 
the traffic of the east. To this great distributing center came 
merchants from the ends of the earth, seeking a market for their 
wares ; pleasure lovers were lured thither by the call of the city 's 
wealth and charm; and the idle and vicious of many lands, 
drawn then as now to any place where their hopes for personal 
gain by questionable means may be most easily satisfied, found 
in this splendid metropolis a rich field for their exploitation. 
' ' Here was held a perpetual Vanity Fair. The vices of the east 
and the west met and clasped hands in the work of human deg- 
radation. 9 ' 

An unusual and remarkable feature of Corinth was the 
Acrocorinthus, a great mass of rock rising abruptly to a height 
of two thousand feet. A town is said to have been once built 
on the summit of this natural citadel. 



The Church in Corinth 

Corinth, "corrupt and contented," with its pleasure-loving 
population of heathen Greeks and Romans, bitterly prejudiced 
Jews, and indifferent travelers, might have been looked upon by 
many as a difficult field for sowing the gospel seed. But Paul, 



134 THE BIBLE YEAB 

with the faith and fervor of a true soldier of the cross, visiting 
the city in A. D. 52, on his second missionary journey, saw in it 
an opportunity for profitable labor. For a year and a half he 
preached the word of life to Jews and Gentiles in Corinth, sup- 
porting himself meanwhile by working at his trade of tent mak- 
ing. Silas and Timothy visited Paul here, and faithfully 
lent their aid to his efforts to plant the standard of the cross in 
this influential city. Success attended their labors. Many were 
converted, among them the chief ruler of the synagogue, with 
all his house: and a church was organized. Later, when Paul 
had gone to Ephesus, AdoIIos, an Alexandrian Jew, "mighty in 
the Scriptures, ' ' visited Corinth, and encouraged and instructed 
the believers. 

First Corinthians 

Apollos, who labored for the church at Corinth after Paul's 
departure, was a learned and eloauent man. Against his will, 
and greatlv to his sorrow, some of the believers began to exalt 
him and his labors undulv. Others thought thev were best show- 
ing their love and loyalty to Paul bv giving him first place in 
their affections and regard. Still others exalted Peter's posi- 
tion. Divisions came in, and soon the church was about to split 
into factions. Some were saving, boldlv, "I am of Apollos ; M 
and others, "I am of Paul;" still others declared, "I am of 
Cephas rPeterl; M and others, sensing the danger of exalting 
man, but not "knowing how to stem the tide so strongly setting 
in, said, "I am of Christ. " Thus the unity and harmonv that 
should have prevailed, and that were so essential, were destroved. 
The church was rent by bitter dissension and strife, and the 
work of the srospel was accordinglv hindered. "Pride, idolatrv. 
and sensualism were steadilv increasing* among those who had 
once been zealous in the Christian life." 

Word of this sad condition was brought to Paul at Ephesns, 
by members of the influential family of Chloe. and also by a 
letter from the church itself, asking advice. The apostle's re- 
sponse to this situation was the epistle, so rich in Christian 
advice and counsel, so eloquent and persuasive and compelling, 
which bears the name "The First Epistle of Paul to the Corin- 
thians. ' ' It was written at Ephesus, toward the close of Paul 's 
stay of nearly three years in that citv, about A. D. 57, five years 
after the establishment of the church at Corinth. 



TEE BIBLE YEAR 135 

Suggested Outline 

Outline the book of Romans, under its two great divisions: 

1. Practical Chapters 1-11 

2. Doctrinal Chapters 12-16 

The following outline is suggested for 1 Corinthians: 

1. Salutation Chapter 1 : 1-9 

2. Divisions in the Church Chapters 1:10 to 6 : 20 

3. Directions Concerning Moral Evils . Chapters 7-10 

4. Practical Instruction Chapters 11-16 






136 TEE BIBLE YEAR 

Forty-Eighth Week: November 26 to December 2 

26. 2 Cor. 1-4: Forgiveness; living epistles. 

27. 2 Cor. 5-7: Paul's motive in service; godly sorrow. 

28. 2 Cor. 8-10: Liberality. 

29. 2 Cor. 11-13 : Suffering for Christ. 

30. Gal. 1-3 : Law and works. 

1. Gal. 4-6: Adoption; fruits of the Spirit. 

2. Eph. 1-3: God's eternal purpose. 

Second Corinthians 

After writing his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul 
left Ephesus and went to Macedonia, probably to Philippi. 
Here, though he was il troubled on every side; without were 
fightings, within were fears, ' ' he welcomed Titus with first-hand 
news from the church at Corinth. In general his first letter had 
been well received, and Paul's very human anxiety over sending 
it was allayed. Almost, in those anxious months, he had re- 
pented sending it; now, when he learned that their sorrow was 
of the godly sort that works repentance, he rejoiced. 

However, not all the members of the church had acknowl- 
edged the justice of the rebuke administered; some were more 
bitter than ever, even denying Paul's authority as an apostle. 

It was therefore to comfort the believers and to defend his 
authority against his enemies, that Paul wrote this second letter 
(probably from Philippi, a. d. 57), and sent it to the church by 
the hand of Titus. It has been called a ' i magnificent picture ' *■ 
of the apostle's strenuous_ lif e. Mrs. E. G. White says: 

1 ' Paul was now full of faith and hope. He felt that Satan 
was not to triumph over the work of God in Corinth, and in 
words of praise he poured forth the gratitude of his heart. He 
and his fellow laborers would celebrate their victory over the 
enemies of Christ and the truth by going forth with new zeal 
to extend the knowledge of the Saviour. Like incense, the fra- 
grance of the gospel was to be diffused throughout the world." 

The Epistle to the Galatians 

On his second missionary journey, while detained by sickness 
in the Eoman province of Galatia, Paul had raised up a number 
of churches. About 280 B. c. this territory was settled by fugi- 
tive Gauls, driven out of Italy and Greece; and their descend- 
ants, with a mingling of Greeks, Romans, and Jews, formed the 



THE BIBLE YEAR 137 

population in Paul '$ day. The people, perhaps owing to the 
influence of their Gallic ancestry, are described as "susceptible 
of quick impressions and sudden changes, with a fickleness equal 
to their courage and enthusiasm, and a constant liability to that 
disunion which is the fruit of excessive vanity. M 

A few years after Paul's visit certain Jewish teachers who 
professed Christianity visited the Galatian churches, and intro- 
duced false doctrines among them. They ignored the decisions 
of the church council held a few years before in Jerusalem, and 
urged the Galatian Christians to enforce certain ceremonies that 
they held as essential. The believers not being thoroughly 
grounded in the truth, and having little tenacity of purpose, a 
critical situation arose among them, which threatened to disrupt 
the churches. 

It was this situation, word of which reached Paul, probably 
while he was in Corinth, that led him to write with his own hand 
the earnest, fatherly letter to the Galatians. "He indignantly 
rebukes his children in Christ for their sudden alienation from 
him and from the truth; vindicates his authority and his teach- 
ings as an apostle, by showing that he received them from Christ 
Himself; and forcibly presents the great doctrine of Chris- 
tianity — justification by faith — with its relations to the law 
on the one hand and to holy living on the other. " 

It seems evident that this letter was a great blessing to the 
Galatian believers, and that they accepted the saving truths 
Paul so clearly sets forth. For nine hundred years the churches 
of Galatia were mentioned in ecclesiastical history. 

"Since the days of Luther, " says Meyer, "the epistle to 
the Galatians has always been held in high esteem as the gos- 
pel 's banner of freedom. To it and the epistle to the Eomans 
we owe most directly the springing up and development of the 
ideas and energies of the Kef ormation. " 

The Epistle to the Ephesians 

The city of Ephesus, situated about forty miles from Smyrna, 
was chiefly celebrated for its splendid temple to the goddess 
Diana, regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world, and 
its immense theater, said to be the largest ever built by the 
Greeks. A thriving business in the manufacture of small port- 
able shrines to the goddess had been built up, as well as in the 
preparation and sale of books of magic. During Paul's labors 
in Ephesus at one time, the believers brought to him their 



138 TEE BIBLE YEAE 

supply of these books, and burned them in a public place. "And 
they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand 
pieces of silver,' ' or thirty thousand dollars. 

Paul's letter to the Ephesians was written during the time 
of his first imprisonment at Eome, about A. d. 63, and sent to his 
friends at Ephesus by Tychicus, "a beloved brother. " From 
the fact that there are no personal greetings in this letter, and 
because of its general character, some suppose that it may have 
been sent to various churches, as well as to the believers at 
Ephesus. "It is an epistle of general exhortation and counsel, 
especially fitted to those that had lately come from heathenism, 
and were still exposed to its temptations. ' ' 



THE BIBLE YEAB 139 

Forty-Ninth Week: December 3-9 

3. Eph. 4-6: Unity; holiness; love; etc. 

4. Philippians: Fruits of righteousness. 

5. Colossians: Divine headship of Christ. 

6. 1 Thessalonians : The second advent. 

7. 2 Thessalonians: Apostasy; consuming destruction. 

8. 1 Timothy: Advice to a young minister. 

9. 2 Timothy: Endurance; crown of reward. 

The Epistle to the Philippians 

Philippi, the chief city of eastern Macedonia, was named for 
Philip II, of Macedon, who wrested it from Thrace about 358 
B. c, and made of it a fortified garrison. In 42 b. c. it came 
under the control of Eome. The emperor Augustus "trans- 
ported Eoman citizens to Philippi, and made it a ' colony, ' — a 
miniature Eome, where Eoman laws, customs, and language 
prevailed. ' ' 

In answer to a divine call, Paul, in company with Silas, 
visited Philippi about A. D. 51 or 52, and through their ministry 
the first church in Europe was established there. In later years 
Paul twice visited this church. It is thought the second letter 
to the believers at Corinth was written at Philippi. 

Paul's letter to the Philippians, like that to the Ephesians 
and the Colossians, was written at Eome during his first im- 
prisonment, A. d. 62 or 63. It was especially called forth by the 
thoughtful love of the Philippian brethren, who had sent Epaph- 
roditus to Eome with gifts for the apostle 's support. 

The epistle is remarkable for the love and joy that permeate 
it. "Eejoice" is its key-word. The Philippian Christians are 
reminded that even persecution may "fall out for the further- 
ance of the gospel, " and that those whose "citizenship is in 
heaven' ' should be happy, temperate, and trustful. The letter 
teaches us "that outward circumstances need not affect the joy 
of Christian experience. As to circumstances, Paul was Nero's 
prisoner; as to inner experience, he was the happiest man on 
earth. The epistle is a shout of joy, of triumph.' ' 

The name "Christ" occurs forty-two times in this short 
letter, besides many pronouns referring to Him. It has been 
well said that "Paul cannot write anything without writing 
about Christ." 



140 THE BIBLE YEAR 

First Thessalonians 

Thessalonica, a prosperous and populous seaport city of 
Macedonia, was anciently called Therma, from the hot springs 
in its vicinity. Cassander, who rebuilt the city about 315 B. a, 
renamed it Thessalonica, in honor of his wife, the sister of 
Alexander the Great. It is now known as Saloniki. 

In Paul's day the population was made up of Jews, Greeks, 
and Romans. Because of its favorable location, "on the sea 
margin of a vast plain, watered \)j numerous rivers, halfway 
between the Adriatic and the Hellespont, at the entrance of the 
pass into the Macedonian plains, with a constant tide of traffic 
ebbing and flowing, — abroad by sea and inland by the two arms 
of Roman road, — it was a fit center of evangelization, as from 
thence ' sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia 
and Achaia, but also in every place. ' ' ' 

With Silas and Timothy, Paul visited Thessalonica on his 
second missionary journey; and a flourishing church, noted for 
its ardent hope in the soon return of the Lord Jesus, was raised 
up. Obliged to flee from the city because of persecution by the 
unbelieving Jews, Paul went to Corinth, where he stayed a year 
and a half. Here, a few months after leaving the new church in 
Thessalonica, the apostle addressed to them his earliest letter, 
in A. D. 52. In it he recounted the circumstances of his stay 
among them, expressed his joy in the good report that had been 
brought to him by Timothy concerning the believers, and took 
occasion to clear up in their minds certain truths concerning the 
state of the dead and the second advent. 

Second Thessalonians 

Paul's second letter to the Thessalonian believers was writ- 
ten from Corinth not long after the first. Some had failed to 
understand his teaching in regard to the second coming of 
Christ, and the excitement and unrest in the church over this 
question were increasing. 

1 ' In his second letter Paul sought to correct their misunder- 
standing of his teaching, and to set before them his true posi- 
tion. He again expressed his confidence in their integrity, and 
his gratitude that their faith was strong, and that their love 
abounded for one another and for the cause of their Master. 
He told them that he presented them to other churches as an 
example of the patient, persevering faith that bravely with- 



TEE BIBLE YEAE 141 

stands persecution and tribulation; and he carried their minds 
forward to the time of the second coming of Christ." 

Clearly he outlined the history of the mystery of lawlessness, 
whose evil work of opposition and persecution would continue 
through long ages before the second advent. "The Thessalo- 
nian believers had hoped for immediate deliverance; now they 
were admonished to take up bravely and in the fear of God the 
work before them. The apostle charged them not to neglect 
their duties nor resign themselves to idle waiting. After their 
glowing anticipations of immediate deliverance, the round of 
daily life and the opposition that they must meet would appear 
doubly forbidding. He therefore exhorted them to steadfast- 
ness in the faith." 

First Timothy 

To Lystra, in Lycaonia, Paul and Barnabas fled from the 
persecution of Iconium during the apostle 's first missionary 
journey, in a. d. 45. "And there they preached the gospel." 
Among their hearers was the youthful Timothy, son of a Jewish 
mother and a Greek father, who was destined to become, in later 
years, so closely associated with the great apostle to the Gentiles. 
Under the ministry of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Timothy 
was converted. Here, too, he gained an insight into the perse- 
cution and suffering that attended those who gave their lives in 
that age to the preaching of the gospel. 

Seven years later, during the course of Paul's second mis- 
sionary journey, Timothy was chosen to be his companion in 
labor and travel. i ' Paul saw that Timothy was faithful, stead- 
fast, and true. . . . Timothy was a mere youth when he was 
chosen by God to be a teacher; but his principles had been so 
established by his early education that he was fitted to take his 
place as Paul 's helper. ' ' From this time till the end of Paul 's 
life, Timothy was closely associated with him, either sharing his 
journeys and ministry, or remaining at some station with new 
believers, to build them up in the faith. 

Timothy shared Paul 's first imprisonment at Rome, and later 
accompanied him to Asia Minor, and was placed in charge of the 
church at Ephesus. It was in this city that the great temple of 
Diana was located; and here this idolatrous system of worship 
had its stronghold. The believers must be constantly instructed, 
the depressing influence of heathenism resisted, and errors and 
heresies guarded against. Timothy's position was a difficult 



142 THE BIBLE YEAE 

one, and he would surely appreciate Paul's letter of counsel 
and instruction. The epistle was written about a. d. 64. 

Second Timothy 

A peculiar interest attaches to this, Paul's last letter, writ- 
ten at Eome, in the prison cell from which he was to be led forth 
to a martyr's death. Timothy had been left in charge of the 
church at Ephesus, a position calling for great faith, tact, and 
insight. While Paul longed to see the young man whom he calls 
i ' my dearly beloved son, ' ' he realized that even under favorable 
conditions, considerable time must elapse before the younger 
man could reach Rome from Ephesus. Even then he might not 
find Paul alive. So, though urging Timothy to come to Rome 
with all haste, Paul took occasion to write in this last letter 
such tender farewells, with such timely instruction and earnest 
admonition to the gospel minister, as would be the greatest help 
to Timothy in the event of his not reaching Rome in time to 
receive Paul's parting words in person. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 143 

Fiftieth Week: December 10-16 

10. Titus: Church order and discipline. 

11. Philemon: Justice and mercy. 

12. Heb. 1-3: Divinity, power, and majesty of Christ. 

13. Heb. 4-6: Our merciful and faithful High Priest. 

14. Heb. 7-9: Melchisedec and Christ; the old and the new. 

15. Heb. 10,11: Christ's atonement; faith illustrated. 

16. Heb. 12,13: "Looking unto Jesus/ ' 

Titus 

Titus was a Gentile Christian. Paul affectionately calls him 
1 k mine own son after the common faith, M so it is concluded that 
he was one of Paul's converts from heathenism. Like Timothy, 
too, he received his training from Paul, and became his warm, 
personal friend and faithful companion. 

The first mention of Titus by name occurs in Gal. 2: 3, 
though he is undoubtedly referred to at an earlier date, in Acts 
15 : 2, as being a member of the delegation sent from Antioch 
to Jerusalem to discuss the question of circumcision. 

Titus was a faithful under-shepherd, and was invaluable to 
Paul, by whom he was sent at least three times to Corinth to 
instruct the believers, to establish them in certain observances, 
and to deal with various matters of church discipline. Later, 
when Paul's first imprisonment was ended, Titus accompanied 
him to the island of Crete. When Paul went away, he left Titus 
to ' l set in order the things that are wanting, and appoint elders 
in every city. ; ' The estimate placed by Paul upon the faithful- 
ness and capability of Titus appears in his second letter to the 
church at Corinth. * ' Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is 
my partner and fellow helper concerning you. f ' 

It was while Titus was in charge of the believers in Crete, 
probably about A. d. 64, that Paul sent him the letter which 
bears his name. The epistle sets a high standard for the 
gospel minister, warns against " Jewish fables and command- 
ments of men, ' ' emphasises the need of ' ' sound doctrine, ' ' and 
enjoins submission to authority, — as servants, to their masters; 
as believers, to the church ; and as citizens, to their rulers. Note 
the beautiful allusion to the second coming of Christ. 

Because they deal so largely with the duties and responsi- 
bilities of pastors, the two epistles to Timothy and the epistle to 
Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles. 



144 TEE BIBLE YEAB 

Philemon 

This brief epistle, regarded by many as the most beautiful 
of Paul 's letters, and the only one which is of a strictly personal 
and private nature, was written near the close of the apostle 's 
first imprisonment at Rome, to Philemon, a Christian of Colosse. 
This believer appears to have been a man of wealth and influ- 
ence. His home was the meeting place of the believers, and his 
hospitality and liberality were a cause of rejoicing on the part 
of Paul, who calls him his "fellow laborer," and refers to his 
son as ' ' our fellow soldier. ' ' 

But a little cloud had arisen to shadow this Christian home. 
Onesimus, a valued slave, had run away to Rome, perhaps with 
some of his master's goods. Here he met Paul, and was genu- 
inely converted. The apostle persuaded Onesimus to return to 
Philemon, and receive whatever punishment might be meted out 
to him. By his hand Paul sent the epistle to the Colossian be- 
lievers, and this short letter to Philemon, in which he beseeches 
grace in behalf of l ' my son Onesimus. ' ' 

The epistle is "remarkable for its delicacy, generosity, and 
justice." While acknowledging that Onesimus, though under 
the liberty of the gospel, is still the slave of Philemon, Paul 
suggests that he be received "not now as a servant, but above 
a servant, a brother beloved." This is according to the spirit 
of the gospel. The principle here expressed would naturally 
undermine the whole system of servitude. 

"For love's sake," is the golden phrase of this brief letter. 
We cannot read it too often. 

The Epistle to the Hebrews 

The authorship of the book of Hebrews is a question on 
which authorities disagree. By many, Paul is held to be the 
author, and Luke the writer, of this epistle. It is believed by 
some that Paul composed the book during a period of strict 
imprisonment, and afterward dictated it to Luke. The chief 
reason for ascribing this letter to other authorship is that in 
the thirteen other epistles credited to Paul, he tells at the very 
beginning who he is; as, "Paul, a servant," "Paul, an 
apostle," etc. Then, too, the author of the book of Hebrews 
places himself among those who heard the gospel from others 
to whom the Lord revealed it (Heb. 2: 3); but Paul says, in 
Gal. 1 : 12, that he did not receive the gospel from men, neither 



THE BIBLE YEAR 145 

was he taught it, but it came to him "by the revelation of 
Jesus Christ." 

The epistle to the Hebrews was written before the fall of 
Jerusalem, probably about 63 A. d. 

But whoever the author^ it was written "to the Hebrews/ ' 
presumably to the Hebrew Christians in Palestine. Some of 
them seem to have been discouraged, and in danger of giving 
up the unpopular faith which, in the first enthusiasm of the 
gospel movement, they had accepted. In taking upon them the 
name of Christ, they had renounced much that was precious to 
them, much that was inbred in their very lives. It was hard to 
turn away from the ritual which they had so long been taught 
to revere, difficult to realize that the glorious temple at Jeru- 
salem was no longer the dwelling place of Jehovah. The power 
of Pentecost faded from their memory; the jibes and jeers and 
persecution to which they were subjected were hard to bear. 
Doubts crept into their minds. What if, after all, they had 
made a mistake? 

This epistle was designed to comfort these disheartened 
Christians, and to strengthen them to endure. The writer exalts 
Christ, and shows that He is the substance to which the whole 
Levitical service pointed forward. He is our sacrifice for sins, 
and also our great High Priest, who ministers in the heavenly 
sanctuary — "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and 
not man." 

While the letter "to the Hebrews" had a local application, 
it was also designed by the Holy Spirit to comfort and encour- 
age all those who have lived since that time, and especially those 
who live in the great day of atonement, and are looking for the 
soon return of the Lord Jesus. We, like the early Jewish be- 
lievers, are urged to cast not away our confidence; we must be 
patient, we must walk by faith, and not be of those who draw 
back. 1 1 For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, 
and will not tarry." 

Earnest exhortations to faithful endurance, comforting prom- 
ises, and a beautiful prayer, are found in the closing chapters. 

If You Have Time 

Add names of other Old Testament heroes of faith to the list 
given in Hebrews 11. 

Make a list of the different Jameses mentioned in the New 
Testament, and study the facts given about each. 

6— Bible Year 



146 THE BIBLE YEAH 

Suggested Outline 

Write a brief outline of the book of Hebrews, under the 
following heads: 

1. Christ Above All ._ Chapters 1-10 : 18 

2. Eeasons for Steadfastness .... Chapters 10 : 19 to 13 : 16 

3. Conclusion Chapter 13 : 17-25 



THE BIBLE YEAR 147 

Fifty-First Week: December 17-23 

17. James: Patience; faith; wisdom; evil speaking; prayer. 

18. 1 Peter: Strength and patience under trial. 

19. 2 Peter: Faithfulness to the divine Word. 

20. 1 John: Propitiation; sonship ; obedience ; victory. 

21. 2 John; 3 John; Jude. 

22. Rev. 1-3: Salutation; messages to the seven churches. 

23. Rev. 4-6: Vision of the throne; six seals opened. 

The Epistle of James 

Two of the twelve apostles were named James, — James the 
son of Alphgeus, or Cleopas, and James the son of Zebedee. The 
former is known as James the Less, perhaps because he was 
younger or of less stature than the latter, who was put to death 
by Herod Agrippa I, in a. d. 44. (See Acts 12: 1, 2.) But the 
author of the epistle was James the Just, who is spoken of by 
Paul as "the Lord's brother." He rose to a position of promi- 
nence in the early church, and at the famous Jerusalem council 
we find him presiding, as he pronounced the sentence on the 
question under discussion. According to tradition, he was thrown 
down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was 
then stoned, and his brains were dashed out with a fuller 's club. 

The epistle of James was written for all the Christian Jews, 
those scattered abroad as well as those at Jerusalem. Its pur- 
pose was to warn them against certain errors that had arisen 
in regard to the doctrine of justification by faith; to encour- 
age them to show their devotion to Christ by kindness to the 
poor, loving their neighbors, obeying the law, and avoiding 
criticism and evil speaking; and to warn the ungodly to repent. 
Note especially the directions given concerning the sick. 

This beautiful epistle is applicable to every age, but above 
all to those who live in the time when c l the coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh." . The grace of endurance is especially urged. 
"The epistle is remarkable for its eminently practical nature, 
the homeliness and aptness of its illustrations, and the bold, 
plain-spoken rebukes of the oppressors of the poor." 

First Peter 

Simon Peter, a fisherman of Bethsaida, was called to his 
apostleship early in Jesus' ministry. His whole subsequent his- 
tory is an example of what the grace of God can do in subdu- 



148 THE BIBLE YEAR 

ing the natural heart, and in working through human instru- 
ments to bring men to a knowledge of salvation. Under Peter 's 
ministry, by the blessing of God, 3,000 persons were converted 
on the day of Pentecost, and by him the first Gentile family was 
baptized and admitted to the household of faith. He preached 
the gospel to the Jews scattered throughout the various coun- 
tries of Asia Minor, and it is thought that he suffered martyr- 
dom at Eome about the same time as the apostle Paul. "All 
agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself 
to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his 
Master, and was therefore, at his own request, crucified with 
his head downward. ' ' 

The first epistle of Peter is thought to have been written at 
Babylon, about 64 A. d., in the reign of the emperor Nero. 
It was addressed to the Jewish Christians of Asia Minor, — 
' i strangers ' ' in the lands in which they were living, — and was 
written to encourage and strengthen them in a time of severe 
persecution. They were urged to live lives of practical godli- 
ness, warned against special temptations, and reminded that 
those who suffer for the name of Christ should not be ashamed 
but rejoice. 

Second Peter 

1 ' This is emphatically a last-day message, culminating in a 
most vivid and glowing description of the day of the Lord, in 
which the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned 
up," says F. D. Starr. A noteworthy feature of the letter is 
Peter 's commendation of "our beloved brother Paul" and his 
writings. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul had recorded some 
things about Peter. It would have been natural for the old 
Peter to resent this rebuke from one less long a disciple of Jesus 
than himself; yet the converted Peter showed no disposition to 
retaliate or criticize. Self and its hurts were lost sight of in 
the great work given into his hands by his departing Lord — 
"Feed My lambs," "Feed My sheep." 

Peter's second letter is thought to have been written about 
A. D. 64, either at Rome, or while the apostle was on the way 
thither. Its purpose is, as he himself tells us, to bring to their 
minds certain truths which they have already learned, in order 
that their faith may be established. They are urged to progress 
in Christian experience, to make their "calling and election 
sure," to take heed to the word of prophecy, and to beware 
of apostasy. 



THE BIBLE YEAR 149 

The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John 

This little group of letters, * k the most independent of place 
and time and circumstance of all the writings of the New Testa- 
ment, " has been called "a kind of mirror, in which one sees 
the charming spirit of the apostle John. ' ' For it is generally 
held that he is their author, many authorities agreeing that 
First John may be regarded as an appendix to the fourth Gospel. 

The purpose of the writing of this epistle is thus given by 
the apostle: "That you may know, . . . and that ye may be- 
lieve." The divinity of Christ is strongly affirmed, and the 
believers are urged to show their love for Him in their everyday 
service. * ' Love one another, ' ' is the burden of the letter, which 
is supposed to have been written at Ephesus, near the end of 
the first century. 

The second and third epistles of John are ' ' all we have left 
of the private correspondence of the apostle. " Like the First 
Epistle, they are thought to have been written at Ephesus, near 
the close of his long life. The second letter is addressed to the 
' k elect lady and her children, ' ' but whether a person or a church 
was meant by this designation is unknown. The letter is a 
friendly talk ^ about a visit the apostle has recently made; he 
commends the children of the lady who are walking in the truth; 
he points out the necessity of love and obedience to Christ, and 
utters a warning against false teachers; he closes with the ex- 
pressed hope of making another visit soon. There is much in 
common here with the first and third epistles. ■' 

The Third Epistle of John is addressed to ' ' the well beloved 
Gams;" but aside from what the letter itself tells, we know 
nothing of him. Evidently he had shown kindness to some vis- 
iting brethren, who, in their travels, brought word to John of 
his hospitality. The apostle had written to the church concern- 
ing their coming; but one of the members, Diotrephes, had fo- 
mented such a feeling against them that they were not received. 
The kindness of Gaius was in marked contrast to the treatment 
accorded the visiting evangelists by this influential member and 
his sympathizers. On their return to Ephesus, John sent this 
letter to Gaius, commending his course, and declaring his in- 
tention of himself coining thither, and talking matters over 
with his friend "face to face." 






150 THE BIBLE YEAR 

Jude 

This brief but important epistle is usually attributed to the 
Jude who was the brother of Jesus, and also the brother of the 
James who wrote the epistle bearing that name. Probably Jude 
"is addressing the same audience that James addressed, — the 
depressed Jewish Christians, whom he urges to hold fast to the 
faith in spite of false teachers and many temptations. " 

The letter mentions Adam, Cain, Enoch, Moses, Korah, ami 
Balaam, together with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 
and the deliverance from Egypt, thus indorsing the Old Testa- 
ment record of these persons and events. The vital subjects of 
translation and resurrection are introduced; Enoch's beautiful 
prophecy of the second advent is here alone preserved to us; the 
believers are exhorted to keep themselves in the love of God, 
and to work for others; and finally "glory and majesty, domin- 
ion and power, both now and ever, " are attributed to Him who 
i i is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless 
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. " This 
brief letter abounds in beautiful figures of speech, used not to 
decorate but to emphasize the great truths presented. 

For Further Study 

Arrange the Pauline epistles and the general epistles accord- 
ing to their probable chronological order. 

Locate the isle of Patmos, and study its geography. 



TEE BIBLE YEAB 151 

Fifty-Second Week: December 24-31 

24. Rev. 7-9 : 144,000 sealed ; the seventh seal ; six trumpets 

sounded. 

25. Rev. 10,11: The little book; seventh trumpet sounded. 

26. Rev. 12-14: The dragon; the beast; the three angels' 

messages. 

27. Rev. 15-17: The seven last plagues; etc. 

28. Rev. 18,19: Babylon is fallen; marriage of the Lamb. 

29. Rev. 20-22: The Judgment; New Jerusalem; "I come 

quickly. ; ' 

30. Review the New Testament, noting that it contains 4 

Gospels, 1 historical book, 14 Pauline epistles, 7 gen- 
eral epistles, and 1 book of prophecy — 27 books in all. 

31. Take this time for a general review of the whole Bible, 

book by book. Taking each in its turn, ask yourself, 
(1) by whom it was written; (2) its great object; 
(3) the leading truths, or events, or persons described 
therein. 

The Revelation 

If one book could be called more important than another in 
the whole canon of Scripture, surely it would be ' ' the Revela- 
tion of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto 
His servants things which must shortly come to pass." It is 
the Revelation; not the hidden, the secret, the mystery. Its 
purpose is to show forth, not to obscure. In the original Greek 
it is called the Apocalypse, which means "the removal of the 
veil ; the unveiling. ; ' In the face of all this, it is surprising 
to find this book often referred to as " sealed ; ' ' but the Lord 
Himself, knowing that this very thing would be said, gave this 
instruction to His servant: "Seal not the sayings of the proph- 
ecy of this book: for the time is at hand." 

Of the book of Revelation, Elder Uriah Smith says : ' ' Scenes 
of glory surpassing fable are unveiled before us in this book. 
Appeals of unwonted power bear down upon the impenitent 
from its sacred pages in threatenings of judgment that have no 
parallel in any other portion of the Book of God. Consolation 
which no language can describe is here given to the humble fol- 
lowers of Christ. . . . No other book takes us at once and so 
irresistibly into another sphere. Long vistas are here opened 
before us, which are bounded by no terrestrial objects, but 
carry us forward into other worlds. And if ever themes of 



152 THE BIBLE YEAR 

thrilling and impressive interest, and grand and lofty imagery, 
and sublime and magnificent description, can invite the atten- 
tion of mankind, then the Eevelation invites us to a careful 
study of its pages, which urge upon our notice the realities of 
a momentous future and an unseen world.' ' 

John, the beloved disciple, and the writer of the Gospel and 
the epistles that bear his name, was* ' ' the penman employed by 
Christ to write out this Revelation for the benefit of His 
church. " It was written while John, who had miraculously 
escaped martyrdom, was banished by the emperor Domitian to 
the isle of Patmos, a barren and rocky island in the iEgean Sea. 
From this inhospitable, lonely spot, " where Domitian thought 
he had forever extinguished at least one torch of truth, there 
arose the most magnificent revelation of all the sacred canon, 
to shed forth its divine luster over the whole Christian world 
till the end of time." 

Of John's exile on Patmos, Mrs. E. G. White says: "To the 
servant of God this gloomy abode became the gate of heaven. 
Here, shut away from the busy scenes of life, and from the 
active labors of former years, he had the companionship of God 
and Christ and the heavenly angels, and from them he received 
instruction for the church for all future time. The events that 
would take place in the closing scenes of this earth's history 
were outlined before him; and there he wrote out the visions he 
received from God. When his voice could no longer testify to 
the One whom he loved and served, the messages given him on 
that barren coast were to go forth as a lamp that burneth, de- 
claring the sure purpose of the Lord concerning every nation on 
the earth." . . 

Outline of Revelation 

This is a difficult book to outline. One plan is to divide it 
into five parts, as follows : 

1. Introduction Chapters 1-3 

2. First Series of Visions Chapters 4-11 

3. Second Series of Visions Chapters 12-16 

4. Visions of Judgments Chapters 17-20 

5. New Heaven and New Earth Chapters 21, 22 

Study this general outline, and if you have time fill in sub- 
ordinate titles and references. A careful study of the book in 
this way will enable you to master its contents more thoroughly 
than in any other. And to know what is in the book is a great 
help when studying its special message. 



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